I had fun with this one!!! It felt like a great introduction to this world and these characters!

I love when a book just throws you into the world and the action, and this book definitely does that because we start the story on their wedding night!! It was such a clever way to introduce us to our main characters and really gives you a feel for who they are.

This world was cool, but sometimes confusing. There is a lot of political intrigue and moving pieces but I think overall it came together well. I thought the romance was good, I love the whole vibe of when a character is obviously into the other and the love interest is just oblivious.

I'll definitely be waiting and reading book 2!!!

This book is one of my top five reads of 2024, and I will be thinking about it until I get to open the pages of the next book. I felt so deeply immersed in this world in a way I didn't know I needed. It intensely raised the bar for any fantasy book I read in the future, and I read a lot of fantasy.

If you're interested in a unique magic system, deep love, political intrigue, and forced proximity and slow burn, this is absolutely for you. Vaasa and Reid, along with the supporting characters, were so well crafted that I felt like I was in their world with them. Vaasa is one of the first main female characters that I've read in a while where she wasn't just tough for the sake of it, and all of her decisions, worries, and insecurities led to her growth in a way that made so much sense.

The supporting cast of characters were strong, and the twists near the end kept me on my toes.

The writing was beautiful and cinematic, in a way that I felt like I was watching a movie in my head, especially for the last 30% of the book. Once I made it to 70%, I couldn't stop reading. Definitely a six-star read for me, and I look forward to (hopefully) the continuation of Vaasa and Reid's story.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. This was a wonderful read, and the tropes delivered! I love when an MMC is cocky!
Tropes:
💍Arranged marriage
⚔️Enemies to lovers
❤️‍🔥Slow burn romance
🔪Assassin FMC
🥷Hidden identity

What I loved
1. inclusion of the enemy to lover story arc trope. It is one of my favorite styles to gain popularity in the romantasy space.
What didn't work as well for me
2. protective love interest
3. Soft fantasy world building focused more on the environment around the characters than the world at large
1 I thought this book was a stand alone and now am desperately waiting for more
Who I would recommend this title for
Romantasy fans who are looking for writing similar to wren in the holly library will have fun here.

This book jumped right into the action and I appreciated that. The FMC was strong and her growth throughout the plot was great.also liked the MMC, but felt I did not get to know him as well. I enjoyed all the other characters and there were moments when the plot had me guessing more than most books. I can't wait for the next one.

I absolutely loved this!! If you are a lover of Romantasy this is for you!

The world building was easy to digest and you were kept engaged the entire story. I absolutely loved Vassa and Reid and their banter! The romance is definitely a subplot and I really liked that it didn’t take away from the plot. There was a great balance of tension, slow burn, spice and plot! I cannot wait to see what happens next in the trilogy!

If you love…
- Arranged Marriage
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Magic and Witches
- Who Did This to You
- Touch Her and Die
- He Falls First
- One Bed
- Romantasy
- Spice
- Found Family
- Brother & Sister Rivalry

5 stars!!! ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley & Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free copy for review!

Ahhh....is it too early to say I think this is one of my favorite romantasy books of the year?!

I am absolutely OBSESSED with this book. I literally stayed up all night to finish it! I love a well written arranged marriage trope (especially when it's in a fantasy book) and this one did not miss! The tension & banter between Reid & Vaasa was next level good. If you are a fan of Nesta x Cassian from ACOSF, I think you will LOVE Reid & Vaasa!

I thought the storyline & magic system was so unique, and I loved reading about Vaasa learning about her magic & the history of the coven. The found family aspect of this book for Vaasa was one of my favorite parts!

If you're looking for a fast paced romantasy with political intrigue and the most delicious slow burn romance, this one is for you!

TROPES:
💒 arranged marriage
✨ witches
⚡️ found family
🔥 slow burn
🖤 enemies to lovers
💫 he falls first

I’ve been in a big reading slump for months and picked up this one and whipped right through it. I loved the story, politics, characters, and how you’re neatly placed right into the middle of it all. Everything gets explained well and is easy to follow, but it’s definitely a hit-the-ground-running kind of start.

I loved the love story and felt like I could relate a lot to Vaasa as our angry/pained main character. I can’t wait to read the next book 💕

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Serpent and the Wolf (The Dark Inheritance Trilogy, Book 1) by Rebecca Robinson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 351 / Genre: Romantasy
Release Date: November 19, 2024

Having mastered seven different languages and cultures, Vaasa Kozár was trained to be her father’s interpreter and legal transcriber. And yet as soon as her brother came to power, she was married off against her wishes to Reid of Mireh, known for his ruthlessness. But she has other plans for her wedding night and the rest of her life.

I keep saying that I’m not that into fantasy books but then something like this falls into my lap and I have to say I really enjoyed it and am now extremely invested in this trilogy. I also have a new #bookboyfriend in Reid of Mireh. Hello tall, dark, and brooding! This romantasy has political intrigue, dark magic, and a fearless heroine who fights for what she wants. What’s not to love?

Thank you, @RRobinsonWrites, @SagaPressBooks, and NetGalley for my #FreeBooks!

This book was fantastic, I toggled between the book and the audio and ultimately the audio was so good I couldn't' stop. Although I usually prefer a dual narration or duet narration, Jesse did a fantastic job in her solo narration. I especially loved the accent for the MMC. This Romantasy is a slow burn, enemies to lovers with political story lines, magic and arranged marriage. I loved the building slow burn between Vassa and Reid. The spice is not overt in this story, the main focus is the magic with a backseat to the political story line and arranged marriage. This does end on a cliffhanger and I absolutely ate this up and cannot wait for more from Rebecca Robinson.

I always say I'm not a romantasy girl and then I read one and love it. This book is not exception, I was totally immersed in the world and enjoyed reading this one very much!

OKAY. MORE PEOPLE SHOULD BE SCREAMING ABOUT THIS ROMANTASY!

I’m so, so serious. This grabbed my attention from the very first page, and I think I fell deeper in love with it with every chapter. The characters are lovable and complex, the premise is completely grabbing (I was arranged to marry you, planned to kill you but… changed my mind and ran away instead). The magic is so SO cool and well fleshed out, the villains are terrifying, and the romance is so, so beautiful. Not to mention the writing, which is stunning and poignant (and full of wonderful, highlightable quotes). I loved it so, so much and it’s definitely landing in my top 10 romantasies of the year!

I really, really loved our MC. She is prickly but also so, so soft. And her prickliness is so well explored by her past and her fears. The found family she stumbles upon is also so wonderful, and I felt attached to every one of them so quickly. And… Reid. Ugh, REID. He is the epitome of a sexy sunshine boy. He’s playful and bold but also good to his core and so sort for Vaasa. He’s also sharp witted and an amazing leader, but also knows when to lean on Vaasa’s extensive political knowledge. These two made such an amazing team, even in the beginning when they don’t entirely want to. And the romance that blooms from this stole my ENTIRE heart.

The ending of this story had my heart absolutely POUNDING. I cannot BELIEVE where we’ve left off, everything took me by such surprise and I cannot wait to see what comes next. Overall this is an absolute GEM of a romantasy debut, and I think it deserves people shouting from the rooftops!

Thank you SO much to Saga Press & NetGalley for this arc!

Thank you to @sagapressbooks & @simon.audio for the review copies!

The Serpent and the Wolf
By Rebecca Robinson
🎧 Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky
Series: Dark Inheritance, Book 1
Book 176 of 2024

I would recommend this book to readers who love political fantasy and slow burn romances! I thought this had unique worldbuilding and the political twists and turns kept me on my toes. I was absolutely hooked by the first chapter - I love a strong female character!

For me, I really like political fantasies like The Daevabad Trilogy, where the politics involve a little more social commentary than like The Tudors - where it’s really just different people fighting for power without anyone necessarily having ideas that I want to root for, if that makes sense? I thought each characters motivations were well fleshed out, I just didn’t have a sense of why *I* should care about them. I did mostly listen to the audiobook, and it may be that I just was a little too distracted and didn’t let myself disappear into the story.

That being said, I did enjoy the book, and I was really invested in the romance. I am looking forward to seeing where this series goes!

🎧 The audiobook was well done and each character was well acted. I personally think I struggle with connecting to fantasy books via audio, and I liked it a bit more when I switched between audio & print or read immersively.

This was painful to get through and I didn't like the story and characters from start to finish. The audiobook just enhanced that feeling for me.

Unfortunately this didn't work for me. I liked the MMC, the FMC was okay, and them together was a little meh. The story just couldn't hold my attention. The writing was good but the story just wasn't for me. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Political intrigue, world building, tension and slow burn!!! sign me up!! The twists and turns kept you guessing. 4.5 stars! This is truley a series I cant wait to see more of!

This was a fun, marriage of convenience, reluctant-allies-to-lovers romantasy with a nice magic system and refreshing political intrigue. I especially admired the MMC, though at times I found the FMC frustrating (just TALK to him, damn it) they had good growth in their relationship and I'm interested to see where this goes.

The Serpent and The Wolf:

Thank you @sagapressbooks and @simon.audio #SagaSaysCrew for my gifted copies.

“One witch is a problem, but a coven is a nightmare.”

Romantasy friends. This is it. The slow burn, the enemies to lovers, the cliffhanger! This. This is the one.

I loved Vaasa. Sometimes I get worried when I read a romantasy and think the FMC is going to be fragile and dainty. Vaasa was it all. She was a badass, but also elegant and classy. Sass, class, and badass, or whatever the equivalent of live, laugh, love would be. Reid was patient and gentle, but “touch her and cry” came out swinging.

The book starts off with a bang and truly sets the tone for the rest of the story. I’m agape from the last 1/4th of the book, and the cliffhanger had me hoping I was magically missing pages and they would come back. I cannot wait for book 2 of this trilogy.

I love Jesse Vilinsky as a narrator, I don’t think I’ve ever heard JV do fantasy, ever. That’s a huge mistake because Jesse Vilinsky was made for fantasy. I will never skip a JV audiobook, but if it’s fantasy, immediately to the top of the list.

This is a top 5 hit of the year. I won’t shut up about it. Out now, please get it (or wait for one of your favorite book boxes to finally release their pick and get it *cough)

QOTD: What are you reading today?

Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for allowing me the opportunity to ARC read this in exchange for my honest review.

**ARC Review: The Serpent and the Wolf**
**Rating: 4.5/5 Stars**

I’ve got to tell you, *The Serpent and the Wolf* is a must-read that completely drew me in from the start. This book is a remarkable blend of rich fantasy, gripping political drama, and a slow-burn romance that keeps you on the edge of your seat, practically begging the characters to just kiss already! From the very first chapter, I was transported into a world teeming with danger, betrayal, and undeniable romantic tension. Rebecca Robinson’s storytelling is brilliant.

At the heart of the story is Vaasa Kozár, a fierce princess who finds herself caught in a political marriage with Reid, the Wolf of Mireh, thanks to her brother Dominik’s ambitions. But don’t think of Vaasa as a helpless character—she’s determined, strong-willed, and has a touch of dark magic that poses as much threat as the enemies that surround her. And then there’s Reid—tall, brooding, and far from the brute Vaasa fears. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the way they navigate their mutual attraction amid swirling political schemes is pure literary gold.

Here are my own likes athe nd dislikes :
Vaasa growth as a character: This story is as much about her journey as it is about anything else. Vaasa learns to take control, facing her own fears and the dark magic within her. Her transformation is powerful and inspiring.

-
Reid the wolf*: Initially, he seems like your typical gruff hero, but he surprises you. Reid is strategic, respectful, and the way he builds trust with Vaasa will have you rooting for them both.

Political intrigues : The constant twist and turns of alliances and betrayals kept me guessing. I was fully engaged in trying to decipher who was loyal and who was playing a dangerous game. The stakes felt incredibly high, and I was hooked.

Side characters : Melisina stood out with her strong motivations, adding depth to the story, while Amalie provided light-hearted moments that balanced the intensity perfectly.

What I was too into :

Pacing in the middle : Although the story started strong and ended on a high note, there were moments in the middle that felt a bit sluggish. Some political nuances could have been explained better, as I found myself needing to reread sections to grasp the full picture.

World building clarity : The world itself is stunning, but I craved more detailed explanations of the magic system. Vaasa’s dark magic is fascinating, but I wanted more insight into how it functioned and why it is feared.

My most loved characters ❤️❤️🥰

Vaasa truly shines as the main character. She’s fierce, relatable, and watching her juggle her inner struggles while maneuvering deadly political games kept me cheering for her. She embodies a wonderful mix of vulnerability and strength that makes her unforgettable.

Reid is a close second. The way he allows his guard to drop around Vaasa while still being protective of his kingdom creates a tension that is utterly captivating.

All in all:

If you’re a fan of fantasy featuring strong heroines, enchanting dark magic, and enough romantic tension to keep you up all night, *The Serpent and the Wolf* is the book for you. While I wished for more clarity in certain political aspects and noticed some pacing issues, the romance and character growth more than compensated for it. Rebecca Robinson has set the stage for what promises to be an epic trilogy.

I’m already counting down to the next book—I need more of Vaasa and Reid’s story. Plus, that ending? It has me reeling! I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantic fantasy packed with heart-stopping moments and deep emotional connections. You won’t regret diving into this incredible tale!

Absolutely amazing. It's been a long time since a book had me this enraptured from the first chapter. I love the use of witches and magic without making it gimicky. The slow burn romance was absolutely delious and I could not get enough. The cliffhanger on this one has me screaming and I cannot wait for the next one!