The Serpent and the Wolf follows Vaasa as she navigates life in an arranged marriage to an enemy, with cursed magic that killed her mother, and scheming how to avoid being murdered by her brother. In theory, this book has elements I love in a fantasy, but I struggled to connect with the characters and plot, I chose not to DNF due to reading a review about a twist. I did find the ending to be thrilling, which brought my rating from a 2 star to 3 star, but I found the book to be underwhelming overall.

I received an ARC from Saga Press | S&S/Saga Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Serpent and the Wolf is a promising start to an exciting fantasy series with romance and political scheming. I really enjoyed the plot and found the characters quite unique. Reid was especially interesting because he isn't perfect - he makes mistakes and admits that he doesn't always know what he's doing. I liked the dyamic between Reid and Vaasa as they got closer to each other throughout the book. That being said, I wouldn't consider the romance "enemies-to-lovers", since Reid was in love with Vaasa from the first page and Vaasa never really hated Reid either.
The magic system was really interesting but it seemed a little vague and confusing, so I'd like to learn more about it in the sequel. I also liked the worldbuilding, but it was quite modern for a fantasy novel considering the fact that the city has running water and fans.
The ending was really exciting and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. Fans of Throne of Glass and Spice Road will really enjoy the beginning of this trilogy!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Saga Press for the eARC!

I read the synopsis of this book and was instantly interested. Not to mention the cover is gorgeous. Having said that the concept of the story had a lot of promise, but the execution didn’t quite hit the mark for me personally.

The pacing was the biggest issue for me—it was extremely slow, and I found myself waiting far too long for any real action, romance, or anything remotely exciting to happen.

I also wasn’t a fan of the third-person POV. There was an excessive amount of "Vaasa said this, Vaasa said that," which became incredibly repetitive and distracting. It made the writing feel clunky and took me out of the story. I wish the narrative had been more immersive, with a first-person perspective, to give more depth to the characters and their motivations.

Another disappointment was the magic system. It felt like it took a backseat to the political intrigue, and while the politics were interesting, I was hoping for more magical elements to play a bigger role in the story.

That being said, I did appreciate the ending, which was the most exciting part of the book and it was enough for me to give this a 3-star rating. While it wasn’t a memorable read for me, I do think Rebecca Robinson has a lot of potential as a writer. The concept was strong, and with some adjustments to pacing, POV, and a more balanced focus between magic and politics, future books in this series could be much more engaging. I’m curious to see how she develops as an author, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for her future books!

*Huge thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for an advanced ebook copy in return for an honest opinion.

Thank you to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free copy for review. #SagaSaysCrew Thanks, Simon & Schuster Audio, for the ALC!

Rebecca Robinson has written an addicting fantasy series beginning - are we calling this a romantasy? - either way, I couldn’t put it down. As I read more of THE SERPENT AND THE WOLF, I leaned more into the audiobook because Jesse Vilinsky is an exceptional narrator. I felt like I had a full cast audio production from one narrator, and I loved it! I also love it when it ends, and you’re not angry about the cliffhanger; you’re just intrigued and want the same answers as the characters.

It had two of my favorite tropes: arranged marriage and who did this to you? They were done so well! Vaasa and Reid are one of my new favorite couples.

I feel silly calling Vaasa and Reid’s meet-cute a meet-cute because it was anything but cute. I’m not sure Vaasa and Reid know how to be cute. They can be dramatic, teasing, angry, annoyed, stubborn, conniving, funny, sweet, and spicy, but not cute, lol. So their first interaction was exceptionally entertaining and set the book up perfectly for their relationship in chapter one.

Robinson did a great job pacing and setting up a new fantasy world. The information was spread out, and it didn’t feel overwhelming. The surprises were also spread out, and I, for the most part, had never seen them coming.

I had a lot of fun reading and listening to this book. I will definitely reread it—the whole book on audio next time! I know this just came out, but I’m excited about book two!!

Content warnings: war, blood, familial death, kidnapping, torture, grief, gaslighting

THE SERPENT AND THE WOLF was a let down that I potentially saw coming ... Rebecca Robinson is a debut romantasy author, and with the rise of booktok romantasy trends, newcomers onto the scene have a lot to prove. I felt like this book lacked depth. My biggest quarrel was with the female main character and her behavior, which made it hard to root for her. I didn't love how the romance felt either. I couldn't believe the chemistry between the two.

Thank you Netgalley and Saga Press for the aARC.

The serpent and the wolf

I enjoyed this story for the most part.

I was pleasantly surprised by how political this romantasy was. One thing that I worry about going into stories with a slow burn romance is if I'll be engaged by other aspects of the story and I'm happy to report that the plot kept me interested.

I loved learning about the magic system alongside Vaasa and the relationship and conflicts between countries. The action scenes were well done and I had a good time.

There were some pacing issues at times. One minute I felt like things were moving along and then it would just feel like things were stalling. I found myself just wanting to skim but I refrained from doing so because I didn't want to miss anything.

I have a love hate relationship with Vaasa's character. Overall she was well written and I thought we were seeing growth But then something would happen and she would lash out making her feel like a kid throwing a tantrum because she didn't understand something. In the beginning it was understandable but by 75% in, it didn't make sense or move the story forward.

Some parts were predictable but there was something that I didn't see coming! This is a huge plus for me.

I will be continuing with the series and definitely recommend giving this a try if you love a slow burn romantasy, a smart FMC, some political maneuvering and some found family aspects.

Vaasa finds herself in an arranged marriage after the death of her mother, a marriage she has no intention of staying in. She believes she has a curse that could end her life, and she desperately wants to find a cure. Her husband doesn't want to give up so easily, and there are bigger things at play than an arranged marriage. What will Vaasa do?

I really enjoyed this series starter! It starts with a bang and just keeps going from there. We get an arranged marriage, a feisty fmc, political intrigue and scheming, magic, a down bad mmc, and a whole slew of female rage. It's definitely a slow burn, so plan accordingly. I am very interested in seeing where this goes. It's definitely a bit of a cliffhanger, but one that left me excited and not angry.

Thanks to Saga Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

Absolutely amazing from start to finish. It does get a little slow at times, especially in the first half, but it does pick up. Don't go in immediately expecting for the romance to hit you in the face as soon as you open the book, this book is absolutely a slow burn romance, which is very appreciated. It was great seeing the development of the relationship from enemies forced into an arranged marriage, to lovers who would sacrifice everything for each other.

The characters were great. The FMC was badass and strong, and doesn't take anything from anyone. I'm glad that we got to learn more about Vaasa and her family history that led her to where and what she is now and her character development was great. However, on the other side, the MMC was great personality and character wise, but I do wish that he lived up to his "Wolf" title a little more than he did. Plus, we don't really get to see a lot of his back story throughout the book and I wish that there was more so that I could get a little more emotionally invested in what happens to him, especially at the end during the final battle.

The ending caught me completely off guard. I was so sure that Vaasa would actually voluntarily leave him when she didn't promise that she would stay when he asked to extend their time together, but I wasn't expecting her to give up her magic and be forced to leave him.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book because of that major cliffhanger because Rebecca Robinson, how could you leave it like this? For a debut novel, this was incredible.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this arc.

WOW... this book was so so so good!!!! Everything was impeccable the plot, characters, world building, tension, overall relationships between characters. Vaasa is a great fmc I love that we get to see her strength and weakness all come to play but also her vulnerability and ability to self-reflect. The development and growth of Vaasa was so well done and it's so big. Her relationship with the coven and their interactions it's lovely (':. Reid a stunning mmc he is amazing so kind and strong and funny and a great communicator. Ugh I love him. The story was well thought out and I could not see the plot twists coming. It does end in a big cliffhanger so be ware but it is so worth it. I loved loved loved this book and cannot wait to see where the rest of the story takes us.

Short synopsis: After the death of her mother Vaasa is married off to Reid of Mireh an enemy ruler. After trying to escape, she strikes a deal with Reid to help him rise to power in exchange for her freedom.

My thoughts: What an amazing start to a fun new romantasy series! The banter and tension was everything in this, starting from chapter one. I was immediately enthralled in Vaasa and couldn’t wait to learn more about her.

I adored the main characters, especially Vaasa and her desire to fight for right, regardless of the obstacles in her way. What a great example of a strong female character.

You get a bit of everything with this; romance, enemy invasion, battles, betrayal, royal inheritance, magic, and a cliffhanger ending. Can we get book 2 now please?

Read if you love:
- One bed
- Enemies to lovers
- Arranged marriage
- Dark magical powers
- Political intrigue
- Fantasy series

Well, that was a wild ride!! I was initially interested in The Serpent and the Wolf, because of all of the attention I was seeing on social media, and I’m so glad I decided to read it. Vaasa Kozar has lived her life being honed by her father, hated by her brother, and being indifferent to her mother. When she is forced into a political marriage to Reid of Mireh, her life takes a drastic turn, as she seeks information about her strange magic and comes to terms with not letting herself feel connected to anyone because of the way she was treated by her family.

I immediately fell in love with Vaasa and Reid. Reid quickly sees behind the walls that Vaasa has put around herself, while she finds Reid to be aggravating and insufferable at every turn. I really loved the way the relationship unfolded between the two of them, with Reid being the patient MMC and Vaasa being the fiery FMC.

There are a lot of my favorite tropes in the story such as he falls first, slow burn, one bed, political posturing and allegiances, found family, family secrets and learning to control magic. The pacing of the story was also done really well, and I loved how much time was given to the conflict happening at the end of the story. There is also a great betrayal twist, that I didn’t see coming, but it fit perfectly into the story.

All of the political factions worked well, and I enjoyed seeing the different factions vying for power. It’s a great balance to the romance storyline and the magic brought in by the various witch covens. I loved that the different covens all had their own specific types of magic, and I’m definitely interested in seeing where the story goes with Vaasa’s magic and what her mother knew and was hiding from Vaasa.

I thought this was an exciting first book in the Dark Inheritance trilogy, and I can’t wait for the second book in the series. If you love books like Powerless, A Dawn of Onyx or The Plated Prisoner series, then I would highly recommend The Serpent and the Wolf.

Thank you to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for the free review copy in exchange for an hones review. This book had some tropes that I thoroughly enjoy: arranged marriage, slow burn, found family, enemies-to-lovers. I enjoyed watching Reid and Vaasa’s relationship develop and love a very slow burn romance. I struggled to get through some of the mostly political portions of the story in the middle. I also would have liked to see more of Vaasa and Amalie’s friendship develop. The book really picked up at the end and I definitely did not see the end coming. I am very interested in picking up the next book in the series.

The Serpent and the Wolf has made it to one of my favorite books of the year! I loved this so much, the political intrigue was done extremely well. I usually am not one who loves so much political chess in my fantasy because let's be honest, I'm too dumb to follow. But this kept me one my toes wondering what was going to happen the whole time.

The romance as usual was my favorite part. You have a broken FMC forced to marry and a beautiful man who is enamored with everything about her despite her pushing against him every step of the way. It was the perfect push and pull "hate to love" sexy romance I want to see in my romantasy.

Read this if you love
romantasy
hate to love...ish
arranged marriage
political intrigue

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5

-arranged marriage
-enemies to lovers
-slow burn
-political intrigue
-witches and magic
-brother/sister rivalry
-found family
-who did this to you

I’m a sucker for the arranged marriage trope so this was entertaining for me. It’s very high stakes, heavy political intrigue but the magic part of it made it intriguing.

“𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩.”
“𝘼𝙨 𝙄 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙄 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩.”
“𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙠.”

I loved the banter between Vaasa and Reid! The back and forth pull and the tension was great. She reminded me a lot of Lara from Bridge Kingdom, smart, guarded, independent, can defend herself, and loves to welcome you with knife to the throat. But you start to see her walls come down with that found family trope and I love it.

The plot twists were twisting though, I had no idea what to expect of that ending and didn’t see it coming. And I’m scared for what happens in the next book.

Thank you @netgalley and @rrobinsonwrites for the opportunity to read this arc!

LOVED THIS SO MUCH!

🐺Enemies to Lovers (tries to kill him on their wedding night)
🐍arranged marriage
🐺SLOW BURN TO THE MAX
🐍touch her and die
🐺grumpy/sunshine (FMC is grumpy/stubborn)
🐍”who did this to you?”
🐺banter, banter, and MORE BANTER
🐍Found family

What an absolutely INSANE debut novel for this series. I was hooked immediately and finished in lightening speed. Between magic system, the romance, high political intrigue, the side characters and MC developments, this book is going to be a fast favorite for readers of Romantasy. I am so blown away that this is a debut, it is so well written, and the story is so intriguing. I cannot wait for the rest of this trilogy!

I loved this entire book! First, learning that the women had the magic and all the twists you uncover about the fmc's family by the end. And of course, ends of a cliffhanger . The book is oddly comforting because of the found family elements but lots of action and a side of romance.

This book was really fun and interesting, I flew through it.
While I’m not usually a political book girlie this had a great mix of fantasy, politics and romance.

I love everything about this book. The characters are wonderful and witty. The setting is beautifully imagined. The story and plot are engaging and exciting. I read this book in a single day. I absolutely could not put it down. Highly recommend this for just about anyone, but especially fans of romantasy writers!

This is the next big Romantasy. I said what I said. I was hooked from page one! The banter was top notch, and I loved the magic system and political intrigue.

I can’t wait for their story to continue!

Very solid romantasy, perfect blend of romance, world building and intrigue! I’m very excited for this story to continue!!!