The Enemy’s Daughter

• Melissa Poett @melissapoett

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This is a YA reimagining of the myth of Tristan and Isolde from Celtic folklore. I do love a myth retelling, and this one I wasn’t overly familiar with, so it did definitely seem like I was reading an original story.

At first, I found the dystopian setting a bit bizarre. When I think of dystopia, I imagine futuristic technology and military compounds (probably a product of my Divergent upbringing). That’s not what we get in The Enemy’s Daughter, and honestly, when I got over the initial shock, I thought it was really fresh and unique. Society has effectively reverted to medieval times (a goated time period to set any book, so I was immediately in).

Five outnumbered clans, who have banded together against Kingsland, the isolationist civilisation that hoard resources and leave the clans to starve. Isodora is the daughter of the clan’s leader, renowned for his brutality and hatred of Kingsland. When Isadora encounters a soldier, shot by a poisoned arrow on the outskirts of her settlement, her healer instincts kick in and she comes to his aid, unaware of the deadly chain of events this will set in motion. That soldier, of course, turns out to be Tristan and there is a lot more to his story than immediately meets Isadora’s eye.

This was super fun and fast-paced – everything YA fantasy romance should be! Tristan and Isadora definitely fall in love quickly, so if you’re looking for a slow-burn, this is not it. Instead, it’s more of a Romeo and Juliet situation – love at first sight and then spending the rest of the story fighting to be together.

Overall, a great debut in my book, and I will definitely be reading whatever Melissa Poett writes next!

The Enemy’s Daughter is out now! Will you be reading?