Skip to content

missfantasyfiction

Home
Blog
Reviews
Wrap-Ups
Contact Me

Search for:

missfantasyfiction

Blog
Contact Me
Homepage
Reviews
Wrap-Ups

missfantasyfiction

your source for all things fantasy

What’s New On The Blog?

Blog · Wrap-Ups

June Wrap-Up: The Month of SA Chakraborty (Among Other Things)

June 30, 2026
Blog

The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty

June 29, 2026
Blog

Books On My TBR That I Have BIG Expectations For

June 22, 2026

About Me

I’ve been a voracious reader ever since childhood. I try to read widely, but something about the excitement and escapism of fantasy keeps drawing me in. Some of my favourite authors are L.K. Steven, V.E. Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, Rachel Gillig and Rebecca Ross. Some recent favourite reads have been The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty and Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier.

I started this blog, alongside my bookstagram at @missfantasyfiction to share my love of reading. At this blog, you can expect monthly wrap-ups, in-depth reviews, hype for upcoming releases and, of course, lots of book recommendations…

FOLLOW ME

missfantasyfiction

📚UK Reader📚 | 📝Reviewer📝
Book blogger at missfantasyfiction.com 🌸
Lover of fantasy and YA ✨
[email protected]

🐪 June Wrap-Up 🐪 June was truly the month of SA C

🐪 June Wrap-Up 🐪

June was truly the month of SA Chakraborty but I promise I did read other things! I read 10 books (6 of which were Chakraborty, if you include the novella River of Silver)

I highly recommend fixating on one author and reading everything they’ve ever released (especially when that author is SA Chakraborty and everything she has ever written is pure magic ⚜️)

I binged the entire Daevabad trilogy, which I loved (I have a review up on my page and full reviews for each book on the blog if you want to know more!)

I also proceeded to devour the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi and the Tapestry of Fate. I could read about Amina’s adventures forever and ever and Shannon Chakraborty seems to be levelling up with every single book so I cannot WAIT to see what Amina 3 brings us 🏴‍☠️⚓️

The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan was among the non-Chakraborty books I consumed this month and I hate to say it wasn’t a favourite. It had a promising start but certain issues hindered my enjoyment. There were definitely elements I liked but ultimately not for me I think.

I also read Tell Your Friends by Lauren Wilson @laurenwauthor which was one of my most anticipated reads and it did not disappoint. Want a thriller with a boatload of social commentary about the dark side of family vlogging and kid-influencing? Lauren’s got you 📷

I’m also in the process of making my way through Adrienne Young’s backlist and Spells for Forgetting was one I chose for a summerween-ish vibe. A small town, a decades-old murder and an island off the coast of Seattle = perfect spooky summer vibes.

As always, full in-depth reviews of each book on the blog missfantasyfiction.com 🌳

What did you read in June? Let me know if you found any new favourites and anything you’d recommend <3

#bookstagram #junewrapup #readingwrapup #bookrecommendations #sachakraborty

⚜️ The Daevabad trilogy ⚜️ – S.A. Chakraborty @sa

⚜️ The Daevabad trilogy ⚜️

- S.A. Chakraborty @sachakrabooks

Earlier this month, I read a series that has been on my TBR for a long time - and although I definitely regret putting such bangers off for so long, it also found me at exactly the right time.

The series follows Nahri, an orphan and pretty pickpocket on the streets of 18th century Cairo. When Nahri accidentally summons an ancient and mightily powerful djinn during one of her cons, she unknowingly sets in motion a series of events that will lead to her fleeing Cairo, the only home she’s ever known.

She soon finds herself embroiled in a court of ancient grudges, simmering tensions and tyrannical rulers as she discovers more about her own past and connection to the magical city. For it soon becomes clear that Nahri is much more than a con artist from Cairo and the future of Daevabad may lie in her hands.

Though this may be the point at which we meet Nahri, don’t be fooled. This series takes her (and the reader) on such a vast, 2,000-page journey that where we start is so different from where we end up. There are magical kingdoms that vanish at will, otherworldly creatures out for vengeance, and a past that seems shrouded in mystery.

The political intrigue was off the scale! Each book takes the information we got in the previous and then expands it tenfold. The three narrative characters are all so different - contrasting ideologies, personalities and roles in society. They’re plotting against each other, thwarting the other at every turn. They’re allying and double-crossing. As the reader, it felt like watching the characters solve a jigsaw puzzle, piece by piece.

The research that Chakraborty has evidently put in is insane. I love a historical setting, even better when it combines fantastical elements built off local folklore and legends. The Middle Eastern influence was so palpable and immersive.

I have so much to say about this series, which is why I wrote a whole blog post dedicated to it and yapped at length about each book. Link in bio or at missfantasyfiction.com

Have I convinced you to put this series on your TBR? If you’re a fantasy lover, I think you’ll devour it!

Books I have big expectations for ✨ These are som

Books I have big expectations for ✨

These are some books on my TBR that I have BIG expectations for! I think this tag was meant to be for new releases but I’ve compiled a slightly eclectic mix - some new releases and some that were published back in the 90s.

I have a tendency to put off books that I think I’m going to reaaaally love, for delayed gratification. Especially with Robin Hobb, I have a strong feeling that the Realm of the Elderlings will take over my entire world when I finally read it…

I’m so so excited for Tempest by Victoria Aveyard and equally excited (and terrified) for the sequel to the Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig, which you bet I will be reading the day of release. I do plan to finally dive into the works of Juliet Marillier this summer.

What are some books on your TBR / new releases that you have big expectations for?

Tag inspired by @femsbookshelff @alexabutmorefun @tarasbookhub !

#bookstagram #newreleases #tbr #books #reading

☀️My Summer TBR ☀️ Earlier this June, I tore thro

☀️My Summer TBR ☀️

Earlier this June, I tore through the entire Daevabad trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty @sachakrabooks and loved it so much! There’s nothing better than a scorching desert-based fantasy in the summer - with descriptions where you can physically feel the sun beating down on you. So of course, the first book I knew I needed to read this summer was the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, a novel about a notorious reformed pirate who comes out of retirement for one final mission. 🏴‍☠️

Continuing with the theme of pirates, we have Saltswept by Katalina Watt @katalinawatt . This features a ragtag crew on a perilous quest and I’m hoping it will satisfy the craving for pirates that I know Amina is going to ignite.

Also a desert-based fantasy is Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui @authorsorayab I don’t know much about this one other than that it’s based around Moroccan folklore and female rage (and that it’s comped to City of Brass!)

The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden @arden_katherine is highhhh up on my TBR - having loved the Winternight trilogy, I have high expectations and something about unicorns in enchanted forests is so whimsical, making it perfect for a summer read. 🦄 (Also, how gorgeous is the Fairyloot edition? I can’t stop staring at mine)

Speaking of whimsy… the final book on my physical summer TBR is Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. I’ve been meaning to hop aboard the Juliet Marillier train for ages and ages, but have been waiting for the perfect moment and I think this summer is the time. I’ve put Wildwood Dancing on this list but I do also have Daughter of the Forest, which I’ll also probably try to get to! 🌳

As for the ARC front, I will definitely be reading a Snake Among Swans by Hannah Kaner @hanfrankan which is a release I’m so excited about and so hyped to be able to read in advance. 🐍🦢

What’s on your TBR this summer? Do you like to theme your reading depending on the seasons? Let me know in the comments <3

#bookstagram #summerreading #tbr #summertbr #newrelease

📷 Tell Your Friends 📷 – Lauren Wilson @laurenwaut

📷 Tell Your Friends 📷

- Lauren Wilson @laurenwauthor

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘It should have been her...’

For Crystal, university is her chance to get out from under the thumb of her controlling parents and begin living a life off camera. When she meets Alyssa, another student with a suspiciously murky past and a habit of alienating everyone she grows close to, the two form a friendship and Crystal recruits Alyssa’s help in exposing the truth behind her family’s picture-perfect online persona.

Unbeknownst to Crystal, Alyssa is an avid watcher of At Home with the Shaws, and vows to thwart her expose at every turn. But as Crystal gets closer to unearthing the lies hidden in her past, it could bring revelations that will change her life forever - and Alyssa will go to any lengths to make sure the truth never gets out...

Tell Your Friends has a boatload of current social commentary around the dark side of family vlogging and kid influencing, while retaining the compulsive and addictive pace typical of thrillers. Seriously, I’d recommend picking this up when you have a good couple of hours free, because once you start, you’re not going to want to stop! The themes dissected hit far too close to home - the sad reality of a childhood lived in front of cameras and put on display for public consumption, and I think it’s one that a lot of us recognise from our FYPs or news articles.

I loved how Wilson put female friendship at the forefront of the story. I thought it was really interesting how Wilson explored the parasocial relationship that Alyssa developed and detrimental it was to her own life - from her family to the furthering of her own insecurities. As for Crystal, her internal battle between exposing her family and potentially perpetuating the cycle of abuse felt like a realistic portrayal of a grown-up kidfluencer. The guilt, anger and resentment she oscillates between felt devastatingly true to life.

Overall, a stunning follow-up to Wilson’s debut last year The Goldens. If you loved Yesteryear or Julie Chan is Dead and their somewhat satirical, razor-sharp commentary on influencing, I think you’d similarly love Tell Your F

🦢 May Wrap-Up 🦢 I read eight books in the month o

🦢 May Wrap-Up 🦢

I read eight books in the month of May, and I made my way through a lot of ARCs - Blood Bound and Deathbringer, both of which released this month! I have a full review up of each on my page if you’re curious if they’re for you. They were also picks for my Illumicrate and Fairyloot subscriptions and they both knocked it out of the park 🤍

On the ARC front, I also read Better Than Revenge which was potentially my favourite read of May. It’s Thelma and Louise meets the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and it’s fantastic 💋🎬

I love a touch of horror in summer, so I picked up The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, which was just as harrowing and important as everyone told me it would be. Such an impactful book and one I really haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

I took the opportunity of the heatwave to catch up on queen Ali Hazelwood, which I’ve been slacking on, so I picked up Bride and Mate (not pictured here because I borrowed them from the library). Unfortunately, I think they were both a miss (Mate more so than Bride), but I think it was a personal taste issue. And there truly is no better feeling than relaxing in the sun with a romance book in hand ☀️

I finished off the month by listening to Havisham, a feminist retelling of the infamous character from Dickens’ Great Expectations. It’s a challenging retelling to do - both to do Miss Havisham justice and to provide a satisfying ending given what we know of Havisham in GE, which is why I thought I enjoyed it more when I viewed it as a separate gothic tale. If you’re a fan of literary retellings grounded in historical fiction, I think you’ll like this.

As ever, full reviews and wrap-up on the blog! Let me know what you read in May and drop your favourites in the comments <3

#bookstagram #mayreadingwrapup #readingwrapup #bookreview #arcreview

🐍 Deathbringer 🐍 – Sonia Tagliareni ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sta

🐍 Deathbringer 🐍

- Sonia Tagliareni

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Standing over her Nan’s casket, the dead speaks to Viola for the first time. Immediately, she knows her fate may as well be a death sentence - after all, this magic was responsible for her father’s demise. But when Viola’s sister Olivia leaps at the chance to take Viola’s place at the magical academy, Gorhail, Viola feels a grim sense of relief. When, twelve years later, Olivia is brutally murdered, it’s up to Viola to finally venture into the walls of the place she’s spent her life avoiding.

The plan is simple - find Olivia’s killer and get out. Things are complicated somewhat by a poison mage named Sylas, whose brother was murdered on the same night as Olivia. Despite Dylan’s deep-rooted hatred of death magic, he must ally with Viola to discover the real truth of what happened to their siblings.

Something I really loved about this was the really unique magic system. There are three classes of mage: Arkani, Aspieri and Mortemagi. Sylas is an aspieri, which means his magic comes from the snakes he’s bonded to. It’s definitely a complex magic system, which the author had evidently put a lot of thought into.

Unfortunately, I did think it lost its way slightly, toward the middle section. I really enjoyed the explosive beginning and the ending, but something about the middle’s pacing seemed meandering and lacklustre.

Alongside all the necromancy, Deathbringer deals quite heavily with themes of grief, in a way that I thought was really well-done. I also thought the overall arc of the book was well-plotted, with offhanded mentions coming back to haunt the narrative and a LOT of twists and turns toward the end that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I’m also not convinced on the need to make this a series (it’s intended to be a trilogy, I think!) Instead, I think it would have worked really well as a standalone. Overall, this was a very solid debut and I’d be interested in reading what the author releases next. However, I’m still undecided whether I will continue this series, just because I actually felt like most of the story was wrapped-up well and probably didn’t call for sequels.

Deathbringer is out now! 🐍🖤

🐾 Dogs, Boys, And Other Things I’ve Cried About 🐾

🐾 Dogs, Boys, And Other Things I’ve Cried About 🐾

- Isabel Klee @isabelklee

‘That’s the magic of dogs: The simple, unrelenting magic is that they don’t even have to try. They heal just by existing, reminding us to live every moment to the fullest. Because what is life other than taking long walks, eating good food, and spending time with the people you love most?’

This is a memoir by Isabel Klee, a content creator and dog fosterer. If you haven’t already, I do urge you to go check out her adorable dog @simonsits That quote above really encapsulates this memoir better than I ever could. One minute your heart is bursting with love and the next you’re sobbing (actually, often it’s both). Well-written and with such heart, it made me wish I could give every single dog a forehead kiss, and Isabel too, for all the incredible work she does. It’s also such a love letter to New York City.

Other than dogs, it follows Isabel’s dating misadventures, living with other girls in a romcom-esque apartment, her relationship to the city itself. And of course, her job as a dog photographer’s assistant, which took her all over the world meeting dogs of all shapes and sizes. From every story of the individual dogs who came to Isabel, who allowed her to love them despite the horrific experiences they’ve gone through to her famous foster fail, Simon. The discovery of Simon’s epilepsy had me bawling, as well as the section about her childhood dog.

Thank you to @littlebrownbookgroup_uk and NetGalley for the digital proof. Dogs, Boys and Other Things I’ve Cried About is out now 🐾 If you’re a pet owner or dog lover, I think it will really resonate.

Are you a big memoir reader? If so, let me know in the comments your recommendations, as I’m on the lookout for some more non-fiction recs <3

(P.S. You know I HAD to use Dan for the audio 🥹)

#bookstagram #bookreview #isabelklee #simonsits #memoir

🎬💋 Better Than Revenge 💋🎬 – Bea Fitzgerald @chaos

🎬💋 Better Than Revenge 💋🎬

- Bea Fitzgerald @chaosonolympus

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Thelma and Louise meets the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a book about two actresses whose infamous rivalry has a body count.’ That’s Bea Fitzgerald’s own pitch for this book, and if that didn’t immediately intrigue you as it did me...

I love a thriller (or any book really) that centres around an elite sport or industry - for instance if, like me, you loved the toxicity and competitiveness of the Favourites, then I think you’d also love Better Than Revenge. This time, we’re focusing on the cutthroat world of Hollywood. Nadine Heywood and Harper Moore’s rivalry first began when they met as teenagers at a London drama school. What started as vying for the same parts and envy coupled with insecurity has since snowballed into a decades-long feud that has kept the tabloids on their toes. From slandering each other in the press to bar brawls, it seems there is nothing Nadine or Harper won’t do to one-up the other.

The writing is so fast-paced and addictive - I felt like I would blink and I’d read 100 pages - with Nadine’s perspective interwoven with interview transcripts. It’s also deeply rooted in 90s pop culture from style and the dawn of the digital age to what the characters are listening to (Britney Spears, of course) and who’s dominating the headlines that week, which is an aspect of the book that I loved!

I did think the book leaned into some of its more hyperbolic moments, resulting in it feeling almost a bit melodramatic at times. It takes a while for the thriller aspect to kick in, but the ride there is so enjoyable that I had no complaints. Watching Nadine’s stratospheric rise to the top and Harper’s gritty ascension to fame, watching their rivalry play out on screens and behind closed doors was so fun.

If you’re someone who has been begging for the return of true enemies-to-lovers - I’m talking they can’t stand each other at first (and for a long time), look no further. Nadine and Harper’s relationship walks the toxic line between love and hate very tenuously at times.

Thank you to @michaeljbooks and NetGalley for the ARC - Better than Revenge releases July 2nd💋

🩸 Blood Bound 🩸 – Ellis Hunter @ellishunterauthor

🩸 Blood Bound 🩸

- Ellis Hunter @ellishunterauthor

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Astrid has always known she was destined to die. She is a Nachstern witch and a Princess of Arturea. As is written in their law, the heirs to the queendom of Arturea and the kingdom of Vatra must duel. The winning heir will secure the Heart for their country – an infinite source to power. Astrid’s people desperately need the Heart to fight the blight that is scourging their queendom. The problem for Astrid is that her opponent is the fearsome Prince Zryan, the most renowned Vatran dragon rider in generations.

Meanwhile, Skylar is part of a travelling troupe of performers and thieves. She harbours a deep hatred of anything Vatran, ever since the King’s guard executed her mother, but the prospective of lucrative winnings from the crowd gathered to watch the duel draws her troupe to the Vatran capital. Except, her path is destined to intertwine with the royals more than Skylar could have ever predicted.

I do really enjoy a dual POV, especially between two FMCs – such as Twin Crowns or These Notorious Virtues. I really enjoyed both Skylar and Astrid’s POVs. It’s a longish book for current fantasy standards, which I appreciated. It felt the authors took their time with the story. I also really loved that female friendship was put at the fore of this story! It’s something we rarely see in fantasy, aside from in subplots.

I didn’t go into it expecting to be giggling and kicking my feet at the romantic subplot quite as much as I was, even though it could have done with being a taaad more slow-burn for me. Still, I think Skylar’s romantic subplot might satisfy that slow-burn urge in the sequel. The witches’s familiars and the bonded dragons was a surefire way to my heart; I will always love an animal companion, and this book was brimming with them.

It did read slightly more YA at times – for instance, it’s comped to Fourth Wing and Quicksilver, and I think those could be slightly misleading. I’d say the comps to the early Throne of Glass books and the Red Queen books are more accurate.

Blood Bound is out now! Thanks to @harpercollinsuk for the digital ARC - I can’t wait for my physical copy to arrive

🌾 Yesteryear 🌾 – Caro Claire Burke ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Yes

🌾 Yesteryear 🌾

- Caro Claire Burke

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yesteryear is the book that everyone seems to be talking about right now. It follows Natalie Mills, a tradwife influencer, who is transported back in time to the era which she has so romanticised – the harsh pioneer 1850s. Her perfect husband, her perfect children, even her charming farmstead… is slightly off. It’s an absolutely explosive premise, especially in this modern age where so many women are fed tradwife content, which I think is why it’s gained so much traction online.

Natalie’s father-in-law is running for president, and comes from an extremely wealthy dynasty (think the Kennedy’s). Burke uses to demonstrate the fact that this type of lifestyle is almost exclusively reserved for those with generational wealth. I loved how Burke explored if Natalie’s online content furthered her father-in-law’s career, and influenced his promotion of traditional Christian values and nuclear families and how even what we consume online informs the political landscape.

Natalie herself is an incredibly unlikeable protagonist. She’s self-absorbed, narcissistic, occasionally cruel, unbearably supercilious and her inner dialogue can be incredibly vicious. In fact, there aren’t a whole lot of likeable characters in this book. She’s still fixated on things that happened years ago and is deeply unhappy with her life, despite how picture perfect she makes it look online. And yet her online persona is someone wholly different.

Yesteryear’s real strength lies in how uncomfortably close it is to home. We’ve all seen those types of videos on our FYPs – women churning out children so much that even they seem to have lost count, milking cows and collecting eggs from chickens. Yesteryear offered a fictional? glimpse into the behind the scenes of such content (I say fictional? because I think it’s probably a quite accurate representation).

I don’t think Burke actually draws any conclusions about the ethics of tradwife culture, but rather allows the reader to make their own. That could be an issue for some people but I personally really like books that leave you thinking…

Have you read Yesteryear? What did you think? 🐄🌾

Q1 Wrap-Up ✨ I’m aware I’m SUPER late with this,

Q1 Wrap-Up ✨

I’m aware I’m SUPER late with this, but better late than never? So here’s my reading wrap-up from the first quarter of 2026! How are we in May already? Time flies when you’re reading good books 😌

On that subject… I go through my five five star reads thus far, including some absolute bangers and new favourites (*cough cough* The Lies of Locke Lamora), as well as the books that surprised me with how much I loved them. Yesteryear, Greater Sins and Wild Dark Shore weren’t on my radar at all until I picked them up and ending up loving them.

I’ve also been doing well on my goal to read more non-fiction in 2026, with four books already, but predictably, my top genre is fantasy (as are 80% of my five stars).

I also included some of my most anticipated reads of Q2 (which I’m counting as May and June, since I’m already so late!) I can’t believe they’re all out so soon 🫣

I do monthly wrap-ups on my blog, featuring in-depth reviews of each book I read, so if you’re interested in any of the books on the final slide, check out missfantasyfiction.com

What did you read in Q1 and did you discover any five stars/new favourites? <3

#bookstagram #q1readingwrapup #readingwrapup #bookreviews #mostanticipatedreads

🗝️ April Wrap-Up 🗝️ I read nine books in the mont

🗝️ April Wrap-Up 🗝️

I read nine books in the month of April. It was a truly eclectic mix of genres, as usual. I started my month off by revisiting one of my favourite authors from my teens with her newest adult dystopian release, Seek the Traitor’s Son.

I continued the Lies of Locke Lamora series with the second book Red Seas Under Red Skies - pirates! Swashbuckling heists at sea! Need I say more? - and the third book The Republic of Thieves and found a new all-time favourite fantasy series. Seriously, prepare to be sick of me talking about these books. They are criminally underrated!

I also read the book that has everyone on BookTok talking about it - I read Yesteryear, which follows Natalie, a tradwife influencer, who is transported back in time to the era which she has so romanticised, the harsh pioneer 1850s.

I also read TWO non-fiction books (I know, who is she?), including a memoir that made me sob - Dogs, Boys and Other Things I’ve Cried About - and a creepy true crime - The Peepshow. I also couldn’t stop devouring thriller audiobooks, with In Her Defense, a courtroom drama and The God of the Woods, a slow burn mystery where two children disappear from the same camp in the Adirondacks twenty years apart…

To hear my full thoughts on all nine books I read in April, head to my blog! Link in bio

What did you read in April? Let me know if you found any new favourites in the comments <3

#bookstagram #aprilwrapup #readingwrapup #bookreviews monthlywrapup

🔸 The Peepshow 🔸 – Kate Summerscale An bit of a

🔸 The Peepshow 🔸

- Kate Summerscale

An bit of an unusual review from me, but I’ve been really into true crime non-fiction after reading The Five by Hallie Rubenhold earlier this year. This is a true crime novel that revisits the infamous 1953 murders at Rillington Place. In 1950, Timothy Evans of Rillington Place was hung for the murder of his wife Beryl and their daughter Geraldine. But when the bodies of women are discovered in the walls of Rillington Place, lining the floorboards and buried in the garden, each killed in a similar manner to Beryl and Geraldine three years prior, the question of Timothy Evans’s innocence cannot be ignored. And a new suspect emerges; John Reginald Halliday Christie. A sallow, faintly creepy man who seems to move through life with perfect anonymity, the real terror of Reg Christie is his unprepossing everyman persona.

Summerscale reexamines the case through the eyes of some key personages - one being Harry Proctor, a journalist for the Pictorial. It prompts some very interesting questions about the morality of true crime coverage and the tabloid frenzy that surrounded the Rillington Place murders. I enjoyed Proctor’s crisis of faith in the justice system and his own place within it, which was especially informed by the flashbacks to another case of miscarriage of justice that Proctor had covered a few years prior, as well as how the two cases led to the eventual abolition of the death penalty.

I did also appreciate Summerscale’s going into depth about the issue of abortion and contraception that women faced in the post-war era, and how this led to backstreet butchers like Christie profiting.

This did give a fantastic insight into early 1950s London. Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, the death of Queen Mary, waves of violence against immigrants, the great smog, the repercussions of the war - the chilling case of Reg Christie spans it all. It doesn’t offer a definitive conclusion to the mystery of Rillington Place, which has spanned more than seventy years, but I wouldn’t really expect it to. Instead, it was a comprehensive overview of the crime and the era of history.

What genre of non-fiction is your favourite? 🧡

🌷 My Spring TBR 🌷 Spring is finally (blessedly!)

💜🌍 Seek the Traitor’s Son 🌍💜 – Veronica Roth ⭐️

💜🌍 Seek the Traitor’s Son 🌍💜

- Veronica Roth

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Elegy Ahn is the youngest child of the Sword of Cedre, an epic warrior tasked with defending Cedre from the constant threat of invasion by their neighbours, the Talusar. Centuries ago, the nation of Talusar was infected by a Fever, a virus that kills approximately half of its victims. The other surviving half, however, are gifted with supernatural powers. The rarest of these gifts is that of precognition, possessed by only ten individuals called the Augurs. When Elegy, perfectly happy with her small role defending her country, is summoned to the Augurs to hear a prophecy that will foretell the part she will play in Cedre’s victory in the war. Except that the Augurs can’t be sure whether the prophecy is meant for Elegy or the ruthless Talusar general Rava Vidar, and one man, the son of a Talusar traitor, is at the forefront of each of their destinies.

This story was nothing like I was expecting. I went in thinking it would be your typical romantic dystopia centring around two people drawn together via a prophecy. Instead, I was met with a world with incredibly complex and detailed worldbuilding and characters that were very much not your average cookie cutter protagonists. Instead Elegy is dealing with a lot of complex emotions about what the prophecy has foretold, not least of them enormous amounts of guilt about her growing feelings for Theren.

The worldbuilding is definitely heavy and it took a while for it to completely click. As much as I loved Elegy and Theren, the side characters did steal the show! We need a Hela spinoff Veronica 🙏

This definitely bordered more on sci-fi than fantasy, I’d say. I feel like the world is really in the mood for sci-fi right now, with the release of Project Hail Mary. Seek the Traitor’s Son scratched that itch - a dying Earth, the human conflict of investing resources into searching for solutions versus finding home on another planet - but gave it a slight romantic subplot and a religious fervour that drives humanity even further apart.

Will you be reading Seek the Traitor’s Son when it releases on May 12th? A massive thank you to @bookbreakuk for the ARC 🧡

Today is the end of the Seek the Traitor’s Son rea

Today is the end of the Seek the Traitor’s Son readalong 🌍💜🥹

Full review will be up on Monday but for now, I absolutely adored the book and thank you so so much to @bookbreakuk for the opportunity to read this early. It was simultaneously nothing like I expected and just as good as I knew it would be.

Are you excited for Seek the Traitor’s Son and Veronica Roth’s return to the world of dystopia?

Also! What will you be reading this bank holiday weekend? Let me know in the comments <3

#bookstagram #seekthetraitorsson #veronicaroth #bookreview #readalong

🌼March Wrap-Up 🌼 I read seven books in March – st

🌼March Wrap-Up 🌼

I read seven books in March - starting off with a siren romantasy, two thrillers (an exquisite climate thriller with an element of literary fiction and a gripping expose about the publishing industry), the Lit RPG series that’s taking the internet by storm - not pictured because I listened to the fantastic audiobooks! - and last but certainly not least… a new all-time favourite fantasy featuring all of my favourite things (master con artists, fantasy crime syndicates, found family and loveable antiheroes).

To read my full reviews on each, head to my blog https://missfantasyfiction.com at the link in my bio!

I will 100% be making a post dedicated to the Lies of Locke Lamora because I’m absolutely enamoured with it and I need to make everyone in my life read it! If you loved Six of Crows like me, it’s like a grittier, more adult version, except instead of Kaz being an universally feared criminal mastermind, Locke Lamora is just a chill, laid-back, laconic dude. Oh, and he also happens to be a criminal mastermind.

I also read some amazing thrillers this month - firstly Wild Dark Shore, a climate thriller set on a remote island not far off the coast of Antarctica, home to the world’s largest seed vault, and then The Ending Writes Itself, an old fashioned locked door mystery, with a definitely taste of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None meets R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface!

What did you read in March? Let me know your favourites in the comments <3

#bookstagram #marchwrapup #readingwrapup #monthlywrapup #bookreviews

🌊⚓️ In the Veins of the Drowning ⚓️🌊 – Kalie Cass

🌊⚓️ In the Veins of the Drowning ⚓️🌊

- Kalie Cassidy

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Imogen Nel has spent her whole life in hiding in the court of King Nemea, the cruel leader whose court hunts sirens for pleasure. If she keeps herself from the sea and salt water, she can conceal the black wings burrowed inside her. When her secret is at long last discovered, she throws herself on the mercy of a visiting king, King Theodore. In order to get her out of Nemea’s court, Theodore and Imogen must bind themselves together in a treacherous blood bond. For the first time in her life, Imogen is forced to confront the monster that lurks within...

The explosive setup and the blurb of this one really drew me in! The first hundred pages were so strong and brimming with potential. The sumptuous atmosphere in this book was completely its forte, perfectly gothic and bloody. I’ve been yearning for a siren story that depicts them in a more vengeful and bloodlust light. I really feel like it could’ve benefitted from an extra hundred pages, just to give the story more time to develop. While I liked Theo and Imogen individually, but I wasn’t completely buying their chemistry. It all felt too insta-lovey, and the trope of a mate bond did come into play, which I personally dislike. It seems to me to always acts as a tool to bring the characters together, rather than letting that happen organically.

These critiques aside, I will still be reading the sequel, In the Wake of the Ruined, which comes out 7th July, simply out of curiosity. I’m still very intrigued to see where the story goes, especially with the siren lore, which we didn’t get a whole ton of in book one, and I’m really interested to see where Theodore and Imogen’s relationship goes beyond here.

Does anyone else yearn for siren fantasies? We’ve had dragons, we’ve had lady knights, now let’s make sirens happen (and if you didn’t read that in the tone of ‘stop trying to make sirens happen Gretchen, then I don’t know what to tell you). Anyway, if you have any recommendations, please drop them in the comments and I will be eternally grateful!

#bookstagram #intheveinsofthedrowning #fantasybooks #bookreview #books

Unbox some very exciting bookmail with me! 💜🖤 Rec

Unbox some very exciting bookmail with me! 💜🖤

Receiving this felt like such a full-circle moment because 11-year-old me was obsessed with Divergent. I also really adored the more recent novella duology, When Among Crows and To Clutch a Razor so I’m so excited for Roth’s explosive return to genre of dystopian fantasy romance.

Thank you SO much to @bookbreakuk and @panmacmillan for making my inner child’s dreams come true 😅

ICYMI: here’s the synopsis for Seek the Traitor’s Son

Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.

She is a soldier defending her small country against a powerful enemy: the Talusar, who worship a Fever that brings death to everyone it touches… except those it resurrects, forever changed. Rava Vidar is a Taulsar general with a reputation for cruelty and triumph in equal measure. And when Elegy and Rava first meet, it’s to hear a prophecy that could apply to either of them.

It declares that either could carry their people to victory. But they won’t know who will triumph, not until it’s too late to change anything. And at the centre of both their fates is a man. A man who, Elegy is told, will bring her death. A man she’ll fall in love with.

In just one day, Elegy’s old life - her job, her purpose, and her future - is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.

Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Are you as excited for Seek the Traitor’s Son as I am? I’m also taking part in the readalong hosted by @bookbreakuk which starts TOMORROW so expect tons of updates! I always find that reading alongside others massively increases my enjoyment!

#bookstagram #seekthetraitorsson #readalong #bookunboxing #bookmail

Follow on Instagram

MEET ME IN BOOKS

Sign up for missfantasyfiction

Just enter your email address for recommendations delivered straight to your inbox!

Email Address

Alternative Email:

Copyright © 2026 missfantasyfiction

Scroll to Top