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Fantasy

Seek the Traitor’s Son (The Burning Empire, #1) by Veronica Roth

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.5 stars

This is the dystopian book I’ve been looking for the last couple of years! Earth has been ravaged by a fever that took more than half the population. Now the world is separated into two warring countries. Cedrae who shun the fever and do everything they can to avoid it and Telusar, who embrace the fever and worship it. All Telusar citizens are subjected to the fever. Those that survive the fever are gifted with powers. The powers are unique and varied.

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Empire of Flame and Thorns (Flame and Thorns #1) by Marion Blackwood

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.5 stars

Wow. What a wild ride!! I lost a lot of sleep reading this one. This is the first book in an enemies-to-lovers romantasy series featuring fae, dragons, and magic. I love books that have trials that the main character must endure to achieve a goal. In this case, Selena is a fae trapped in the Seelie Court and controlled by dragon shifters. She’s part of a rebel alliance determined to free all trapped faes. Her only chance to gain her freedom is by entering the Atonement Trials: a deadly competition that pits fae magic users against each other. Only three people can win, and Selena intends to be one of them.

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We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.5 stars (release date 4/28/26)

This is a beautiful, emotional, heartwarming, sad book that will give you all the feels. I love this author’s writing and I’m not surprised that he made a story about the end of the world feel like a warm hug.

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Broken Souls and Bones (Stonegate, #1) by L.J. Andrews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is a great first book in a new fantasy series. Lyra lives a quiet life in a small village. It allows her to hide her magical abilities – abilities that are not allowed to exist outside the authority of the King. Roark, the Prince’s guard and rumored assassin for the crown, invades her village. In order to save her best friend, she reveals her rare ability, is taken captive by Roark, and taken to the King where she’s forced to use her magic on his behalf.

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Crown of War and Shadow (Kingdoms of the Compass #1) by J.R. Ward

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and enjoyed it. Sorrell is an outcast in the small village she’s lived in her entire life. She’s got magical abilities that everyone pretends she doesn’t. Events occur that force her to flee her small town and seek out a destiny she never knew she had. She makes a deal with a handsome mercenary, Merc, to help her on her quest. He’s got his own reasons for accepting her offer, and together they make a good team.

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Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.5 stars

Fairytale retellings is not my thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed this Cinderella retelling through the eyes of the “evil” stepmother. If more retellings were like this, I’d read more of them. In this book, Etheldreda, or Lady Tremaine, is a twice-widowed woman left with no money and saddled with a decrepit house, two young daughters, a priggish step-daughter (Cinderella – who can’t be bothered to help the family in anyway whatsoever), and a razor-taloned peregrine falcon that helps her hunt to put food on the table.

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Web of Vows and Vengeance (The Hirathean Path #1) by Aria Ashbrook

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I listened to the audio of this book and LOVED it! The narrators did a fantastic job portraying the characters. They built tension and conveyed the emotions of the characters to bring the story to life.

This book  is the first in a dark, spicy slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy series, perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, The Serpent and the Wings of the Night, and Throne of Glass.

Tropes you’ll love:

Enemies to Lovers

Deadly Tournament

Slow-Burn Romance

Underdog Heroine

Brooding Royal MMC

Forced Proximity

Gods & Goddesses

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Dragon Bound (Dragon Rider Academy #1) by Sam Hall

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Lady Fern is pressured by her family to marry to help the family, but the men gathered to “court” her are awful. She runs away and stumbles upon queen dragon Auren. She has her own family problems. Her father expects her to act as a breeding ground to mate with multiple dragons to add dragons to the family. They are both sick of being pressured and bond in their mutual desire for control over their lives. They go to the capital to get a plot of land from the King to live on, but are told they must join the dragon academy and serve there a year before they can be free.

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Flameborne: Fury (Emberquell Academy #2) by Aimee Lynn

Rating: 4 out of 5.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This is the second book in the series and starts off right where the last one ended. Bren was set up to fail her last test and Donavyn charges after her knowing something is wrong. Their dragons are mated and turns out so are they. In the middle of the mission Bren’s dragon goes into heat, so when Donavyn and his dragon catch up to them, there is a lot of spice between the couples. A lot of spice. When they realize that what Bren observed was a real enemy camped out on the kingdom’s borders, they rush back to warn the King.

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