This book has Similar vibes to T. Kingfisher, like a fantasy cozy, so if you are a fan of hers you will probably love this book. It has a unique premise and story line, and doesn’t feel like a story we have read a thousand times. It’s heavier on the fantasy than the romance and the romance is sweet, but in my opinion the emotional connection is a little underwhelming. I tend to like more politics, turmoil, and tension. For my personal taste this a 3.5 star read. It is a good book and well written, it’s just not the style I love.

The world building and magic system is interesting but unfinished in my opinion, I would have liked to see more about the gods, their squabbles and the games they play with eachother. If this is the first in a series I can infer from the book that we may see more of that in the next book. The magic system is unique and the characters interesting, I just feel like so far they lack depth. I did see some character growth but it seemed superficial and not fully fleshed out. Again if this is the first in a series I can foresee that happening in the next book.

Overall I enjoyed the book, the pacing was fine and I will read the next one to see what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press for the free advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Less romance than mystical fantasy, this book is an immersive read with some dark magical elements. I didn't understand the true nature of the Sleepless until the end (no spoilers here), but love the way this nature was developed throughout the tale. The creatures, the forest, even the Gods came to life within these pages. Elver, Artair and Lucian emerge as such strong characters (even though Artair and Lucian share one body) - I could feel a connection to each one, making this a high stakes venture because I did not want any one of them to lose. Their journey in this first book was dangerous and exciting, and I was disappointed when the book ended. It was a good break point in the story, but I really can't wait to know what happens next. Thank you to Rivka Holler of St. Martin's Press (Wednesday Books) for allowing me to read an ARC of this magical tale - the only drawback to reading a book pre-release is the longer wait until the next book in the series is released!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books, and the author for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book!

This was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the storyline and the legends surrounding the different gods.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

The Sleepless is a young adult fantasy that offered a unique twist on gods and magic that I haven’t come across before. Both of our MC’s have distinct relationships with gods that have complicated their lives in unexpected ways. As the two cross paths and navigate a journey together, they learn that neither of them are what the other seems and maybe they have more control over their paths than they previously thought…

Love triangle hints, fun fantastical animals, and a unique fantasy world. <3

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this! The magic system and worldbuilding is fantastic and I really got invested in the characters' journeys. Lucian was definitely my favorite. The love triangle was definitely unique and I absolutely loved it. I'm so hoping there will be a second book because the ending definitely left me wanting to know what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books, & Jen Williams for an advanced reader copy of this book!

I will post my review to Amazon when the book is released.

The Sleepless by Jen Williams is an immersive YA fantasy that delivers adventure, romance, and a character-driven story. At its heart are Elver, cursed with a deadly touch, and Artair, a sleepless who harbors the sinister presence of Lucian within him. Their journey throws them into a gripping struggle involving gods and monsters, loyalty and betrayal.

Artair is desperate to rescue his kidnapped friend, while Elver fights to protect the Keltraxia cub he’s taken to secure his friend’s freedom. The stakes are high, and Williams crafts a vividly complex world where every character is flawed yet compelling.

I found this story thoroughly enjoyable and the plot is well-developed keeping the momentum going, balancing action with emotional depth. The intricate world-building adds a rich backdrop to the characters’ dilemmas, making their struggles all the more engaging.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

This was an enjoyable novel, with a unique storyline. This is a young adult romance fantasy novel with a strong premise. This comes with lovable characters that took me on an adventurous journey! This book is very dark, mysterious, emotional, tense and hopeful. It is a medium paced read where the flaws of the characters are the main focus. This book was well structured and easy to read. I did find it to have a predictable ending, but it was still a satisfying one. Themes explored are loyalty and betrayal, the nature of love, overcoming challenges, finding hope and the balance of nature. This book also explores gods and monsters!

This tells a story of a monster guardian named Elver, whom has a very deadly touch. Then there is one of the sleepless, named Artair, who has a curse to share his body with an evil spirit named Lucian. This turns into a love triangle, as the alliance becomes dark and complex. As the story unravels, things get more mysterious and entertaining! Overall, I rate this a 3 out of 5 stars.

Content warnings include violence, blood, death, animal death, child death, confinement, child abuse and murder. I think that anyone that is a fan of a young adult fantasy, mixed in with some romance, novel would enjoy reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jen Williams and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on September 30, 2025!

3.5 stars

Jen Williams crafts a world of gods and monsters in her romantic fantasy adventure, *The Sleepless*. The story opens with intriguing introductions to our main characters: Elver, rescued from the brink of death by a god and now the guardian of the wild, notorious as the "Poison Child" due to her toxic skin; Artair, determined to save his covenant friends; and Lucian, who inhabits Artair’s body while he sleeps, carrying his own mysterious agenda.
The first few chapters are gripping, laying the groundwork for what promises to be a thrilling tale. However, as the narrative unfolds, the momentum falters. The once vivid and immersive worldbuilding fades, making way for a plot that becomes increasingly muddled. With a growing cast of gods and redundant tasks, the story loses its spark, turning into something tedious rather than exhilarating.
As for the romantic fantasy aspect, it fell short of expectations. The lack of emotional connection between characters made it difficult to invest in their relationships, and any potential chemistry was overshadowed by neglected character development.
Hopefully, the next instalment in *The Sleepless* series will reignite its potential and deliver the epic experience that this world deserves.

This was an enjoyable fantasy! I LOVE Elver so much. Artair was a great hero for the story, and seeing his situation was cool too. There is a love triangle and it’s not at all how you would expect it to be! It’s fun!

The Sleepless offers a richly imagined world with intriguing concepts, such as gods, monsters, and a unique love triangle involving two souls sharing one body. The premise is compelling, and the initial chapters are captivating, drawing readers into a dark, magical realm.
However, as the story progresses, the pacing becomes uneven. I hope in the next book, the characters have a bit more to them.

Overall, The Sleepless has a lot of potential and will appeal to readers who enjoy atmospheric fantasy with complex themes. It's a promising start, and I'm curious to see how the story unfolds in future installments.

This story is rich and full of great world building. I enjoyed the dual POVs, and the FMC's condition makes the story unique and interesting. Love love the idea of the sleepless and the mystery behind it, love the dynamic between the MMC (both) and the FMC. I started drifting off a bit after the 50% mark, and I'm not sure why. The ideas were good, but I believe they lacked depth and tension. For example, when the Artair stole the egg, I felt some tension, but not enough to truly push the plot in an urgent way that would draw more of my attention. Some build up between the characters, and how the land is situated may have been better. When Elver, supposed guardian of this forest, takes a full hour to get to the site, it makes her feel incompetent. I wish she was more connected to this world than just through speaking with the 'monsters'.

Overall, I believe the story could be furthered by tension, depth, and tighter pacing.

I love the cover and the concept was interesting. This book was too slow to grab my attention and even when it did it was pretty halfhearted. None of the characters really grew on me enough to really care what happens to them.

I really struggled getting invested in this one. I liked the idea of an unconventional approach to a love triangle. I found that I was constantly wanting more and that the page length was a detriment. I do think the writing was good and I’d be interested to check out more by this author!

Jen Williams’ The Sleepless is a tale of a world where Twelve gods rule and reign. Elver becomes acquainted with this power at a young age when her life changes forever. No longer human, but now a Sij of the Forest where she protects the other magical creatures.

Artair is a monk living in a monastery where the Sleepless go to quarantine themselves from the world in order to protect others. A Sleepless is a man that has 2 occupants. When one falls asleep the other awakens. Through the help of Elver, Artair discovers this other being as a man named Lucian. The two are enemies living in the same body.

Throughout The Sleepless we follow these three through the forest, villages, and to the Bloody Claw as they fight to save those they love and protect their world from the evil Maura.

The characters are okay at the beginning, but I really felt the story and characters developed at the end. It felt a little slow until then. The introduction of Tisk and Sunay is a fun addition to the characters. The book just kind of fell flat for me, but it can be challenging introducing a whole new world of fantasy. I feel like that was my struggle personally and not the author's inability to create that world. If the very few choice words were removed, I could see middle grades really loving this fantasy world especially with the description of creatures. Otherwise, this is marketed great towards teens/ya and is clean fantasy.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC of this book.

Elver is the guardian of the wild and dangerous monster forest. Saved from the brink of death by a god, her skin will poison anyone she touches.

Artair is one of the Sleepless. When he sleeps another being awakes, a most dangerous individual who needs to be safely locked away at night. When Artair has to go on a mission he crosses paths with Elver. Elver discovers the young man is immune to her poison touch. Reluctantly they join forces, both having their own reasons for doing so. Can they trust each other? Can Artair keep everyone safe from the one residing within him?

This fantasy is different from anything I've read. Elver is not your typical heroine. Her poison touch is a fun concept.

The story is very focused on Artair/Lucian and Elver so we don't get to see a lot of the wider world around them. But I enjoyed everything.
I never knew what was going to happen and I just enjoyed following the characters along their journey. I enjoyed the monster creature and would have loved seeing others.

I don't care for love triangles but there isn't a lot of focus on that. And I don't know how to feel about it if it continues in another book. The ending leaves us with a lot of questions but also a clear point for more storyline if this becomes a series.

The Sleepless was just ok for me. This story follows Elver and Artair on a quest of sorts, however the world building it definitely felt extremely YA. The start was very slow and while there was a lot of lovely imagery, the plot took forever to feel like it was going anywhere. Also I didn't connect to any of the characters, so in the end I did not really care what happened to them.

Overall The Sleepless had a really promising concept, that unfortunately just didn't deliver. Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This one might take you a few chapters to fully become invested, but it is well worth hanging in there for.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in return for an honest review.
This one doesn't release until September of this year, but put it on your to read list ASAP, or pre-order so you can dive in the minute you can. I loved the world building. Its imaginative and unique and the god-system is one that makes you think of how it all works together. I love the relationship between the two MC's because from the start it doesn't work. They are quite exceptionally opposites and yet they have one glaring similarity...they are both considered monsters. Forced proximity and fate pave them a path to a deeper relationship, but like the characters themselves the reader has to work for the relationship and the choice that their friendship means more than the nature of their history and rearing. What an exceptionally written plot! I was entirely and emotionally involved in the characters and their journey's; both together and separate.

No regrets!!!!
5 out of 5 stars

The Sleepless

This story over all was interesting. I thought the characters had good backstories and the setting was intriguing. It did take me more than 50% to really get into the book. The story is YA so no spice and very young minded characters. Lots of snarky dialogue. I believe book 2 has the potential to wrap up the story since so much was left open at the end of this book.

~3rd person POV
~Love triangle
~Gods & Monsters
~Secrets
~Quest
~Animal sidekick

3.75⭐️

On Sale - September 30th, 2025

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own.

#thesleepless #NetGalley #ARCreview

Okay, there were concepts that have (had?) great potential here. The idea of the “Sleepless” — two souls trapped in a body, only one conscious at a time—is one I’ve only read once before (oh hey, The Dead House!), and is a trope that I think has so much potential. But as we know, potential in a book is not always a great thing. Potential means, “I wanted, but I didn’t get.”

Then we have the poison touch trope. Again, a very fun concept that—again—fell flat. We didn’t see the repercussions of a poison touch as we should have. To me, this book was right there, but I still found my mind drifting, and the dialogue wanting.

I’ve read plenty of books where the author eventually comes into their style and the books later in the series are addicting. For that reason, I might continue to read sequels as they come. But as far as book 1, it was okay.

The fast-paced story kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved the unique concept of two souls sharing one body, both longing for the same person while working together to save others. The tangled love triangle that unfolds is as chaotic as it is captivating.

Packed with unexpected twists and emotional depth, this book delivers a thrilling ride and that ending will leave you desperate for the next installment!

Many thanks to NetGalley for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review.