Sadaré is a wild ride from start to finish. You’re thrown right into this eerie, living labyrinth with the main character, Sadaré, who has no memory except that she’s a powerful sorceress. Her only companion is Daesra, a dangerously attractive, immortal demon who has a serious chip on his shoulder. They don’t trust each other at all, but they have to team up if they want to make it to the center and escape the monster lurking there.

The tension between Sadaré and Daesra is one of the highlights. They start off barely tolerating each other, but as they dig into their shared history, things get complicated—and intense. It’s that perfect slow-burn romance where you’re never quite sure if they’ll kill each other or fall in love.

The labyrinth itself feels like its own character, constantly changing and keeping them on edge. Plus, the deeper they go, the more Sadaré starts questioning everything she thought she knew, including whether the real monster might be Daesra... or even herself.

If you’re into dark fantasy with a lot of mystery, tension, and a good amount of twists, this book is for you. It’s got great world-building, high stakes, and keeps you guessing until the end. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a story with equal parts danger and romance!

I was really intrigued by the premise behind this because I always love a little Greek myth throw in there! I did like how this used the myth as inspiration, the twists were enjoyable. The kinks weren’t always to my taste, but we powered through. Pogli the chimera was the STAR of this book, loved him so much! I think this book was a bit too long and the ending was too convoluted (though I did like the overall themes that were presented). I have no idea what could result in a sequel to this, and I don’t think I’m particularly interested in continuing this as a series. Overall, not bad though!

*Exquisite Ruin* by AdriAnne May is a stunning reimagining of the Minotaur myth that completely blew me away! From the very first page, I was hooked by the immersive world-building and the intense dynamic between Sadaré and Daesra. The darkly romantic tension between sorceress and demon had me flying through the book, desperate to uncover their shared history and escape the deadly maze. As someone really into myths, I thought this was a fantastic take on the Minotaur story, and as a big romantasy reader, I was stoked—this book checked every box for me! I’ve already preordered a copy with those gorgeous sprayed edges for my shelf, and I can’t wait to see what else AdriAnne May has in store!

Not really my genre - but real romantasy readers will probably be all over this dark, broody take on the minotaur.