The characters were interesting but I felt like it was missing something with the plot. It was just okay

Just okay. I like the representation and characters a lot. However the plot was just mediocre at best.

I truly enjoyed this book. While I have some minor complaints, I was completely engaged in the story from start to finish. The pacing is perfect for 90% of the book—it maintains a break-neck speed and hits all the high notes! There’s never a dull moment.

I also have to praise the strong, predominantly female cast, which makes the feminist themes feel naturally integrated rather than forced or dumbed down. It felt refreshing without being heavy-handed, which is ALWAYS a pet peeve of mine in such books.

That said, while I wouldn’t call the plot predictable, I do feel the book lacks a major plot twist or a gasp-worthy reveal. The final battle felt like it dragged on, which was disappointing because the pacing had been so tight until that point. I was also a bit disappointed [MAJOR SPOILERS, Part IV-ch. 7/89%] by the resolution of Serisa’s arc. She’s on the verge of achieving her goals/winning the big battle, but suddenly crumbles because of the necklace McGuffin? That felt anticlimactic. While her ending is emotional and beautifully written, the way she gets there broke my suspension of disbelief to be honest.

Part IV is really my only complaint, though, in what was otherwise a truly amazing book. I felt like I went on a real adventure with these characters, and it’s a story I’ll remember fondly for many years to come!

The book follows Kas, a traveling slayer, and a half-vampyric companion she finds in Claudia. Although the two have every reason to be at odds, they find themselves in a quest together to save humanity from the threat of dragons. It is a riveting adventure for those, like me, who are fans of vampires and stories like the Witcher.

I loved the monster lore in this book, from vampires, dragons, and werecats! One of the characters who is a young werecat, Aara, is such a lovely addition to this cast. Another thing I loved about this book was definitely the characters. Both Kas and Claudia stand as strong characters separately, and the way their relationship evolves in the book is a delight to read. Lastly, villains are extremely important to me for stories like this, and I found the main villain here was written wonderfully. The chapters that explored her point of view were equal parts tragic and fun.

After reading this, I have no doubts that I will be following the author’s other books and I would recommend them to someone looking for a standalone fantasy with monsters, dragons, and WLW enemies-to allies-to lovers.

Thank you author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!!

MORE QUEER FANTASY!! This is definitely the queer fantasy I've been craving! I LOVE! when there's good backstory and definitely love when they weave the backstory into the story. I also love that the antagonist has so much depth. I feel like there's a lot of times when villain characters get no backstory, so they feel very repetitive and shallow, but this had me crying for her. and I just love how blatantly queer all these characters are. Overall, it was a great experience, and I wish I had endless queer fantasy books just like this one to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

In "A Ballad for Slayers and Monsters" we find Kas of Veldenier, our Slayer made by tragedy striking her at a young age, and Claudia of Trulio, our half-monster half-human made by forbidden love. Every story, both in their world and in real life say that they should be nothing but enemies, yet life has other plans for them. When a dragon scale, the so called long-lost Remnant of Ombral, appears, and with it the possibility of the dragons be freed to wreak havoc on Vil Tresar again, history repeating itself, the women's paths converge. Neither of them wishes this to happen, so they go on a quest to destroy the remnant, while being pursued by Serisa, a vampiryc that wants to see the world burn, all of humanity destroyed for what they've done to her and her people. So, of course, Claudia and Kas join forces, deny feelings and encountered all types of monsters.

So, on some parts, "Ballad" is the typical monster/monster-hunter story that we've seen before, but, in other parts, I think it managed to innovate some and feel different to other books that take to this archetype of a story. Mainly the world and characters.

In terms of the world, I liked how the author inserted all types of creatures, both malign and benign, to inhabit it. Slayers were created to hunt them when the dragons were imprisoned long ago, and yet, is good to see that they don't just go around killing everything, but only those creatures that harm humans. And, since one of our main characters and the villain are vampirycs, those are the most we see and the ones we most learn about, being similar to vampires but with their own touch; I'm keeping it vague so people find out on their own when reading the book, but I wanted to mention it because I think they were very interesting creatures and enriched the story to a maximum, because vampirycs are the most similar to humans and also one of the most dangerous things (on solid ground, there's other monsters in the water), so we can see their tribulations and conflict just like humans have.
On the other hand, Vil Tresa is the stage for all this, a vast country divided in provinces through which Kas and Claudia will travel, back to the Slayers Keep to destroy Ombral's remnant. The world felt real, lived in, with traditions and villages being different from each other even within the same province, showing how, at the end of the day, places take from their (bigger) place of residence but also make their own way of living. That to say, that I enjoyed learning from the world, but I also can tell that there's far more than to what meets the eye. I'm a bit conflicted in this area, because, the world felt developed enough for the story been told in "Ballad", hinting at a bigger picture, but, on the other hand, I think some aspects of it could have been lengthen, show in more depth to enrich the story and the world. In fact, if the author ever feels like writing something else in this world, I'm more than up to reading it only so I can keep discovering its nuances, explore the crooks and forest and see all the creatures the Slayers encounter.

Now, on to the characters. Kas, Claudia and Serisa, our main characters and narrators. The first thing I want to point out is how their voices managed to be distinct enough to not get confused as to whose POV we were following at the moment, with the characters introducing their views and believes in the way of describing the events taking place around them, which is always appreciated in a novel with so many characters. On the other hand, I think I'm gonna declare Kas as my favorite out of the three, followed closely by Serisa.

Kas is the hunter, she's a fighter since young age and a friend of her friends and family, someone that doesn't shy away from what she wants in life and a charmer through and through. I laugh and suffered with her, finding myself wanting to follow her in whatever direction her adventures take her. One thing I'll is that, though we see her slaying monsters using her wits and expertise in weapons and the strength she's gathered with the years, I would have liked to see some of that earlier training, to have some base to compare it too when we see her later in her young adult years going around Vil Tresar slaying monsters; because, in the prologue/chapter 0, something happens and we see her determine and trying to fight and survive no matter what, and it's what drives her to want to join the Slayers, so, after getting that little of a foundation, I would have liked to see her trying to learn with a mentor. But this is on a personal level and the lack of it does not objectively hinder the novel, because we do see Kas fight all types of creature throughout the book, and so it is believable that she's the expert Slayer she ought to be to fight off the dragons threat.

When it comes to Serisa, I didn't expect myself to like and feel so much for the villain of the story, after all, she wants to free the dragons and see Vil Tresar fall prey to their fire and destructive nature, so Serisa can see the human suffer and perish and the monsters rise and finally have the world for themselves. For this, Serisa has recruited her clan members, as little in numbers as they are. And she cared so much for them even in her quest for humanity's death. I think, having chapter from Serisa's POV, showing how, even as a vampiryc, she feels and suffers and hates and loves as any other human is what made me loved her so much, no matter that she was looking for the world's death. Now, my issue with Serisa, is kind of the same that with Kas: some parts of her past were skipped or rushed through, and I think, showing them, going in depth on some moments, would have made Serisa even a more three dimensional character and would have make me even empathized more with her at the end. Again, this is personal, I always love knowing more, moreover if there is room for it and it will enrich the story; and in this case, with these two characters, it would have made so.

I don't want to leave Claudia out, but, for me, her character wasn't that memorable, compared to others. She's smart, she's brave and stands up for what she believes in, never giving in a fighting for her loved ones no matter what or who. And yet, she came short on other parts. Claudia is a half-vampiryc, sharing some less exciting aspects of these with them, yet, they only hinder her when it is a bit too convenient to the plot and to make her relationship with Kas tensed or change in a different direction, hence the convenience. She has two main motivations for wanting to stop Serisa, one I won't mention because it would be spoilers, but it felt realistic and with enough foundation to drive her through it all to the end, and another one that felt flat to me: she wanting to stop Serisa of her plan to end humanity because she, Claudia, is...half-human. Which, valid, but, shallow, in my opinion, because it was never explore in depth. She's also half-vampiryc as has no qualm in murdering them. So...that motivation didn't work much for me.

Finally, I want to mention the secondary characters, with a special mention to Aara, the reluctant child of the house that everybody ens up loving, just like I did. How could we not? Funny, intelligent, stubborn and brave, an amazing character through and through. The friends and the enemies that they make one their way to saving the world added that touch of a living world, showing all types of perspectives towards monsters and how these are deal with by the Slayers.

Now, my issue here is what I already mention: lack of depth in some aspects. Characters, world sometimes, the romance towards the end, because it felt like, once the characters get together, there's no more tension between them, no more conflict to solve or talk about except the plot pertinent one. Meaning, that Kas and Claudia are from different worlds, and they do spent time denying the feelings due to who they are (Slayer and monster), but once they decide to leave that behind and get together, the world is a better place and they will never have no more issues to go through, which I felt like it a 180º on their relationship. And while not wrong at all, I think they could have still sort out some rough edges and polished them.

Overall, I enjoyed this one, flew through it in less than a week. A fast paced story full of emotions, for fans of high fantasy with monsters and monsters hunters and loving against all odds, with a family tale that will defy any threat and characters that will not leave anyone indifferent. So, yes, as you can tell, I do recommend this one

i only picked this book up because the cover reminded me of vi from arcane so i didn’t have any expectations. i thought it was okay as far as queer fantasys go but i thought the pacing was kind of off sometimes

I received this book as an ARC for free in exchange for an honest review. The book was published on 15th April.

Overall I did enjoy this read, I've always been a fantasy genre fan and this has sapphic vampires in it, so it's my cup of tea from the offset! However, I couldn't sing the praises of this book like I really wish I could.

I really enjoyed the slayer Kas, she gave me butch knight vibes and reading about how tall and strong she is with lovely broad shoulders had me swooning. Claudia was your dainty looking but fierce femme, able to easily hold her own and protect Kas who would become her lover. Just living up to the butch x femme dynamic even more! I enjoyed seeing their character growth individually and how that impacted their romance.

A notable mention for this book though is its predominantly female cast. It was great to see all the strong powerful characters in this story to be women, and these women be a mix of LGBTQIA+ representation. It did well to create a good little found family dynamic, I couldn't help but enjoy their bickering and will the development of their family dynamic. This book was described as a feminist Witcher, and I don't think it disappointed on that theme.

However, there are a few issues with this book that bring the rating down to what it is.
Firstly would be the plot pacing; i think it was intentionally meant to be fast paced but this did not always feel the case. Some chapters felt to drag on occasions, which even made me pause reading this book and is the reason it took me over a month to finish.
Secondly, I really enjoyed the intermissions to learn more of the antagonists history, but we only really meet two slayers and have very limited story of them or from their time in the slayers keep. Something of the First Slayer defeating the Dragons or more of the slayers we meet backstory would have been an amazing addition to help understand their journey.
Thirdly, I was bothered by a plot hole. How did Serisa know where the Slayers keep is? The Slayers keep had been there for so many years and no monsters have gone in and killed the slayers, something I'm sure they would have tried to do if they knew where to go! They couldn't have used the magic talking head as Claudia wasn't there yet. This just bugged me and took me out of the story for a bit.
And lastly, as much as I love an enemies to lovers trope and feel at points this book hit the mark for this, it also fell a little flat and felt superficial at times. The attraction between Kas and Claudia seemed to be purely off physical attraction alone, which there is no shame in of course, but with this trope I feel it needs more than that to really sell it.

I really did enjoy this read overall, and would even recommend it to other sapphic fantasy lovers. I would say it's a nice easy read to enjoy, could even help to get someone out of a reading slump.
Thanks to the author and Netgallery for letting me read this ARC!

A Ballad for Slayers and Monsters by Rita A. Rubin is quite the adventure—equal parts sapphic slow-burn romance and save-the-world fantasy. I enjoyed the ride.
Following the death of her family, Kas becomes a monster slayer. Claudia is a monster—or at least half-monster, for what it’s worth. The two are brought together by chance and a magical remnant capable of releasing vanquished dragons who threaten to annihilate humanity. As the two journey to Slayer's Keep, where the only thing they think can destroy the remnant is kept, they realize they are both more than just a slayer and a monster. 
Rubin creates a volatile world filled with all manner of monsters, as well as monstrous humans. The dragon lore is interesting and distinct from anything I've read before. I appreciate the complexity of the antagonist and her relationship with Claudia. One of my favorite supporting characters is Aara, the little werecat. She brings lightness to the group and softens Kas, while also being smart and adorable. Claudia is another favorite character, for her strength and fortitude. This quest is undertaken by some very competent, formidable women with swords and serious butt-kicking skills, and I am here for it.
Great world-building and character development, action, a big battle final boss scene, and some lady love make this a satisfying read.
My only critiques are that more time could have been devoted to the protagonists’ relationship development during their journey and that the high fantasy elements could have been explored in greater depth.
I recommend this enemies-to-lovers romantasy. I am giving it 3.75 stars, rounded up.
#enemiestolovers #fantasy #highfantasy #romantasy #dragons #shifters #vampires #quest #swords #HEA

Described as a queer feminist version of The Witcher, this book had me intrigued from the start—I’m a fan of all those elements, even if romantasy isn’t usually my genre. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to the hype for me.

The pacing felt uneven—dragging in some sections and then rushing through others—and the dialogue often pulled me out of the story rather than immersing me further. The seemingly endless parade of monsters began to feel like a checklist, rather than adding meaningful stakes or tension.

That said, I did enjoy the enemies-to-lovers dynamic, which was well-executed between the two leads. Kas and Claudia were both charming and distinct, with personalities and issues that made them feel real. However, I found the main villain a bit grating, especially in how her arc was resolved.

Despite the YA-leaning cover design, I wouldn’t categorize this as YA due to the explicit sex and violence. Just something to keep in mind for potential readers.

And maybe this is just a personal quirk, but Claudia will always be the werewolf from Monster High in my head—so remembering she’s a vampire (sorry, vampiric) was a recurring mental hiccup. That brings me to another small gripe: why tweak the names of every single monster just slightly? It felt unnecessary and occasionally distracting.

In the end, this one wasn’t for me, which is a shame because I really wanted to love it. Still, I did find moments of enjoyment, and I can see it resonating more strongly with the right audience.

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.
I enjoyed this book! The first thing i noticed was the writing style, which was a little odd and took taking used to. But as i read on it was fine. I do think there was many times that there was filler sentences that felt unnecessary and even repetitive; that the author could have left out. These were sentences that often pointed out a very obvious thing that happened when it was already inferred in the previous paragraph. Also, just as a preference i would have liked the characters’ inner thoughts to be italicized, as well as call backs to other characters’ quotes. It helps differentiate them from the other paragraphs a bit more.
The plot was interesting, love a good journey. I do think a map would have been nice to go along with this book so you could follow the journey. Since this is a stand-alone i think there could have been more world building and lore, especially surrounding the Slayers and the dragons. We only really meet two Slayers and do not have any backstory from them or about time in the Slayer’s Keep. An interlude or prologue of the First Slayer defeating the Dragons would have been an amazing addition.
I did like all the different monsters that the characters encountered including the smaller ones such as Aara..
I am glad that Serisa decided to go herself, she was irredeemable at that point with all she had killed and intended to kill with the release of the Dragons.
I liked the romance, it did not feel rushed and it felt genuine

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

I really struggled with this book. It has feminine Witcher vibes, which I was so excited to read it. I love The Witcher. It even has my favorite trope enemies to lovers. And it has a lot of action.

I just could not get into the story, and sometimes, it felt rushed. I liked that we got the POV from different characters (slayer, vampires, etc.). But something was missing.

Sadly, this book wasn't for me.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. #ABalladforSlayersMonsters #NetGalley

Action packed fantasy novel with monsters from Slavic mythology, with a bit of Witcher vibes going on, but with an all female main cast. The main highlight for me was the romantic plotline. I loved Kas and Claudia, and from the other characters, Aara. The number of featured monsters was a bit too high for me, and it did break the narrative from time to time, with lots of recalled chapters from the main villain's past. Although I enjoyed reading her thoughts as well, her share of the story was excessive.

All in all, I enjoyed the book, would definitely recommend it to fantasy fans!

I stumbled upon this book while scrolling through NetGalley. I really liked the cover and that was enough. All that to say, I went in blind. I knew nothing about the story, the author, anything. I went in with no expectations, but it blew me away anyways. This authentic, thought-out, wholehearted feminism that doesn't compete with the plot. The scenery of this book was exceptional and immersive. It never slows down to a boring pace so I ripped through this book. I was only disappointed when I reached the last page and ran out of words. I can't wait to reread it.

It breaks my heart to read a book that includes both vampires & Sapphics, two things I adore, and fail to feel like I want to shower it with praise. Unfortunately, the writing style and consistent typos in this novel made it very challenging for me to get through. It's with geuine disappointment (and apologies) that I say I DNFed this one... Than you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow! Where do I even begin with A Ballad for Slayers & Monsters? This book is an absolute gem that deserves all the hype it has been receiving! From the stunning cover, which perfectly captures the essence of the story, to the well-crafted characters, every element comes together to create a compelling narrative.
Having first come across this book on Twitter, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read an ARC. The story revolves around a Slayer falling for a Vampire, and it’s sapphic! What's not to love? I found myself utterly captivated and unable to put it down—each page pulled me further into this enchanting world.
The characters are deeply relatable and dynamic. Aara, their daughter, is adorable, and I can't help but root for her happiness. Claudia, a fierce cinnamon roll, has a sweet side that shines through amidst her strength and resilience. And Kas—my heart! She’s the epitome of strength and beauty, and her relationship with Claudia gave me all the feels. Their witty banter and reluctant allies-to-lovers arc is delightful and relatable.
One of the standout aspects of this book is its strong, predominantly female cast. The feminist themes are seamlessly woven throughout the narrative, making the experience refreshing without feeling preachy. Rubin's ability to infuse humor and heart into difficult subjects is commendable, and the emotional depth of the story is truly moving.
While the pacing is thrilling for most of the book, I did feel the final battle dragged a bit. There could have been a major twist that would elevate the stakes even higher, but that didn’t significantly detract from my overall enjoyment. The emotional writing during Serisa’s arc tugged at my heartstrings, although it left me wanting a bit more in terms of resolution.
In a genre often filled with clichés, A Ballad for Slayers & Monsters is revolutionary with its original all-female cast. It’s an empowering read that reminded me of the strength and resilience women possess, all while delivering a gripping adventure filled with excitement and emotional depth.
With beautifully written prose, well-developed characters, and breathtaking world-building, this book will surely stay with me for years to come. I can't wait for its release in April—I've already pre-ordered multiple copies! This book deserves a spot on everyone’s reading list—trust me, you won’t regret it.

Perfect for fantasy fans (think The Witcher with more women), with family drama and a sapphic romance twist. The worldbuilding is great fun, and Kas and Claudia are a WLW slayer/vampire enemies-to-lovers romance to root for. I would definitely read more stories set in this universe, with its Eastern European fantasy elements, a rip-roaring adventure vibe, and, dragons. Always love dragons.

A Ballad for Slayers and Monsters opens with a dark, tragic backstory for our heroine, Kas, who then devotes her life to hunting monsters. Trouble arises when she falls in with a half-vampyric, and together they must go on a quest to save the world from destruction at the hands of ancient dragons.

Content warnings: fantasy violence, including mentions of cannibalism; child and parental death; trauma/grief; moderate sexual content.

A lesbian Witcher-esque monster versus hunter is totally my vibe! And I really liked the characters, however the plot was a bit flat in parts and in ways it felt more young YA? I still enjoyed the read but felt there was more to give.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Unfortunately, I found the writing to be too on the nose and stilted--I really felt like the author was trying to keep "The Witcher" vibes going, but the mix of humor and monster fighting was not working in the same way those books do so well. The dialogue just felt super cheesy and the descriptions were repetitive --I kept rolling my eyes when Kas talked, especially. I also felt like the three POV switches were not needed and didn't offer much new perspective when we did switch. There was a lot going on and not enough time to really flesh out the storyline in a way that felt meaningful because things just happened offscreen a lot.

This was great! Basically a sapphic ‘The Witcher’ meets epic fantasy with vampires, warecats, slayers and monsters a plenty plus more fantastic beasts throughout.

We meet Kas a slayer who lost her family to a set of vampires at a young age who sets to rid the world of the terror she faced. She is one tough, sword wielding, monster slayer that runs into Claudia the half human, half vampire. There are sparks almost immediately that throws both of them! They are set to stop Sersia (Claudia’s half sister, vampire half that is!) from her rampage to free a terrifying monster of the ages.

This story is a wild ride that cuts into three POV plus parts that drift back to an origin story with Sersia and what made her the monster she is.

There is a lot separate parts that really build to the budding found family that has various members of their tribe including lesbian, bi and trans representation . There is a trigger warning at the start by the author to murder, loss, violence, blood, suicide (off page) and a few spicy moments. The budding romance is not lost in the pace of the tale. At some stages I was exhausted for Kas and Claudia during some of the fight scenes.

My only criticism is that I would have liked more of the budding romance and the ending exhausted as it was a bit flat in comparison to the body of the story.

I would highly recommend as it was a very enjoyable read and come out of the 15th April 2025. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the ARC team to read this prior to release via NetGalley, the publisher and the author.