First of all, we’ve got to give it up for this cover. It’s what drew me to the book because it is beautiful.

Now, on to the rest.

I did enjoy this book - it kept me entertained and was a fun read, but there was room for so much MORE. When compared to well-known YA dystopian books like The Hunger Games, I thought this story was a bit lighter in tone and heavier on the romance. This is all enemies-to-lovers vibes with a definite insta-love twist thrown in.

The characters and world were all interesting, but I needed the author to go so much deeper on worldbuilding. Everything we learn about this world and its history was pretty expositional, as was the romance. I wanted more insight into everything: the bombs, the clans, the wars, and even Tristan’s long-held crush on Isadora.

And then the magic system. This story relies so heavily on the “Connection” that Tristan and Isadora have, but as a reader I felt like I was asked to just “go with it.” This tiny bit of magic was explained away in one sentence which was not enough for me.

At the end of the day this was a good palette cleanser book, a pretty standard forbidden love kind of story, but certainly not the greatest I’ve ever read.

The Enemy’s Daughter by Melissa Poett is a YA reimagining of the epic love story of Tristan and Isolde set in a post-apocalyptic society. Isadora belongs to a patriarchal clan run by her father, who offers her hand in marriage to anyone who can bring the head of their rival clan’s leader. The rival clan retaliates, and as a healer, Isadora goes to tend to injured soldiers on the battlefield. When she stops an attack from a young man from the Kingsland, she must decide whether to turn him in or let him go.

This is definitely a character driven story, with forbidden love at the forefront. Tristan and Isadora’s relationship is filled with all the angst, longing, tension, and pining you could ever hope for. Their conversations flow naturally and they have real chemistry. I really enjoyed reading about the connection they share, and how they navigate this together. This is described as “enemies to lovers” and as far as that trope is concerned, I felt that the “enemies” part of the connection didn’t last as long as I would have liked.

Beyond the characters, the world building was sparse, and the magic system lacked any meaningful development. Personally, I don’t expect a lot of this within the YA Fantasy genre, but it is something to keep in mind should this be important to you. The pacing of this story is fast, but didn’t feel rushed.

Overall, I would recommend checking this one out when it releases on 05/06/2025!

The Enemy's Daughter is a dystopian retelling of Tristan and Isolde, Isadora, a healer who has selflessly helped injured soldiers during the war is shot with a poison arrow by one of Tristan's soldiers. Instead of letting her die to the poison, he saves her life by using a rare type of magic. But due to him using his magic, they are bound to one another. As the story/plot progress they grow closer and realize that there is an undeniable attraction between the two.

I did enjoy the book but there are a few parts that just felt ehh but overall it was a good book. The world building and characters were written very well.

I found the premise of this book interesting and promising. I liked that it was a retelling of Tristan and Isolde, but I'm not a fan of insta-love, even though in the book, these two characters were supposed to build their relationship together. It still felt very much like insta-love, and that is always a downer. I do see our YA readers swooning over the romance in this book. So despite this not being for me, I do think younger readers will enjoy this quite a bit.

Firstly, LOVE the cover arrow. My goodness. Stunning.

Now, picture this: a world shattered into factions where healing is a radical act and enemies might just be allies waiting to be discovered. That's what Melissa Poett serves up in her debut reimagining of Tristan and Isolde, topped off with a dystopian twist! This premise was so interesting I had to pick it up.

Isadora is the healer daughter of a clan leader, and she's fantastic at patching people up, but maybe not so great at seeing the big picture (mood lol). After an enemy's magic saves her life, she finds herself bound to Tristan from the Kingsland through this mysterious tether that honestly gets pretty interesting. The whole magical bond thing adds layers to a world that's already rich with conflict and possibility.

The worldbuilding explored some really cool ideas about memory-sharing and magical connections. Poett creates a clever tension where the bond between Isadora and Tristan becomes both opportunity and vulnerability. I appreciated that she doesn't just push characters together with magic and call it a day; there's actual thought put into what being magically connected means.

This one's for readers who like their dystopian reads with a magical twist, appreciate some moral grayness in their protagonists, and enjoy seeing characters question everything they thought they knew.

The Enemy’s Daughter was a really entertaining read! Set in a post-nuclear civilization, this story follows Isolde, the fierce daughter of a warrior-like clan, and Tristan, the son of a peaceful mayor whose society is wrongly blamed for her people’s suffering. After a failed attack, the two are bound together in a ritual marriage that allows them to share each other’s pain—both physically and emotionally.

What unfolds is a compelling, action-packed journey as Isolde begins to question everything she thought she knew. As her connection with Tristan deepens, she discovers that it was her own clan, not his people, who committed a tragic act of violence.

This book feels like a throwback in the best way—perfect for fans of early 2000s dystopian YA. The worldbuilding is intriguing, and the plot keeps you turning pages. That said, I did find myself wishing for more development in the romance between Isolde and Tristan. A few chapters from his perspective might have added extra depth and emotion to their bond.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy!

🔹SYNOPSIS 🔹
The world as we know it has been destroyed and much of the land poisoned. In the resulting post apocalyptic world, resources are scarce and it’s survival of the strongest. The five clans and their leaders unite against the Kingsland, a resource rich group they claim is unwilling to share. Isadora is the daughter of one of the clan leaders and she is the prize to be won by whoever can kill the Kingsland leader. But she’s an unwilling prize and when she decides to join in the fight, she crosses paths with handsome young Tristan of the Kingslanders. Together they forever change the fate of their people.

🔹MY SPOILER FREE TAKE 🔹
I mean, I was hooked at Tristan and Isolde retelling. I’ve always loved the story of Tristan and Isolde and my daughter’s middle name is Isolde, so I was immediately game for this book. I ATE IT UP. I think this was a case of the right book at the right time and I was super in the mood for this YA dystopian romp. I don’t think it was groundbreaking and some of the plot lines were predictable, but it was a completely enjoyable, great ride that I didn’t have to think too much about and could just sit back and delight in. I flew through it and found myself totally engaged in the story. I loved the magical elements of the bonding and Isadora’s fierce nature. Tristan is the dreamy, noble MMC of YA dreams and I loved them as a couple. I could’ve used a little more development of their relationship so it didn’t feel quite so insta love, but they’re young and this book was only a 300 page read, so it didn’t bother me much. Could we have had more world building? Yes. Did I think there could be more complexity in the final big reveal? Yes. But did I have a great time reading? Absolutely. This book kind of reminded me of the movie The Village by M Night Shyamalan. I pictured the clans in the same kind of primitive existence. After really struggling through the length and the slog of The Bright Sword, this was the perfect fast and entertaining read and I would thoroughly recommend it to any YA fans.

forbidden romance
-dystopian with magical elements
-YA romance


Absolutely in love with this book!
It brought me out of one of the worst slumps I’ve ever had. I’ve recently started dipping my toes and found myself completely enamored by dystopian books containing magical elements.

Although there were parts that felt a little flat and some inconsistencies regarding descriptions, I still loved this story so much!
I consider the romance to be insta-love in a way, but that didn’t take away the fact that the tension and emotional intimacy were SO good. This book could’ve been 200 pages longer and I would’ve been totally thrilled by that. I loved this story and I really hope the author decides to take us back to it at some point.

Big congrats to the author on this great debut and thank you so much HarperCollins Quill Tree Books & NetGalley for my ARC.

While I did enjoy the first half of this novel, with witty banter and humorous MMC, unfortunately I found this story lacking in chemistry between the main characters. The romance felt very instant-lust and after the female main character went into enemy territory the world building was lacking. This lead to me constantly putting down the book and almost had to DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

💥💥💥 Book Review 💥💥💥

The Enemy’s Daughter
By Melissa Poett
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars

This book was so captivating with a Tristian and Isolode retelling with a fantasy/sci-fi twist. This book had my attention the whole time! I really enjoyed reading this novel a lot! I devoured this book! The world was intriguing to learn about. The characters- Isadora and Tristan were to die for! The magical bonds in this book plays a MAJOR role in Tristan and Isadora’s love story. This book draws you in immediately with its vivid scenes and lush writing.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

I had high hopes for this one but sadly it just didn't hit the mark. The dystopian setting seemed at odds with the story and writing to me. On top of which that whole vibe of Isadora's people just felt a little too pointed in today's climate. I read as an escape not to be faced with possible worst case futures.

This was an intriguing read! I love that it has the forest healer vibe, but it’s actually set in the future (post-“Republic”). It gives the system familiarity and yet also some world-building to be done.
While it has fade-to-black intimacy, the tension and connection between them is sizzling, and is well-done. It’s a little bit quick from enemies to lovers for me; he had a longer connection to her, but it didn’t seem to take much to go from guilt over her previous betrothal to being all-in for Tristan.
Overall really enjoyed this one.

I’m a sucker for arranged marriages and mind speak when it comes to romantasy.

Add in a reimagining of a Celtic legend, and you having my TBR curious.

But this wasn’t as deep of read as I was wishing for. I’d argue the comps on this are incorrect. This doesn’t have the vivid world building Curious Tides or the solid dramatic pacing factor of Belladonna.

I think my biggest issue was the modern dystopian thread wasn’t strong or consistent enough. It would have been better without it. Or just kept things pre-industrial. The voice naturally felt preindustrial at points & probably would have sang with more editing in this direction.

Don’t get me wrong, Poett makes a quick page turner, but the inconsistent voice took me out of my nerdy escapism.

Thank you @NetGalley & HarperCollins Children for this ARC.

I honestly can’t even describe just how much I loved The Enemy’s Daughter. At first I was worried I wasn’t going to get on with this book as it seemed like every time I sat down to read I wasn’t getting very far. However, once I really dedicated some time to it, I flew through this book.

I’m aware that this is a retelling of Tristan and Isolde but I actually don’t know anything about the original story so I don’t know how faithful The Enemy’s Daughter is. But it’s one hell of a ride let me tell you.

I don’t want to spoil too much, especially as this book hasn't been published yet, but the way in which you view this world and its inhabitants is constantly challenged by new information is honestly a little unsettling. I didn’t believe the truth for a while as everything you think you know isn’t the whole story. Isadora’s whole world changes in a matter of days but I won’t give away if that's for the better or not. There’s literally an entire new world out there that she has no idea about because women aren’t respected in the clans.

I’d love to comment on how ridiculous Isadora’s dad’s reasons are for why he acts the way he does, but it’s a huge spoiler. I’ve never felt so angry towards a book character before.

To begin with I wasn’t wholly sold on the romance side of The Enemy’s Daughter as it didn’t make sense to me. Why would Tristan risk his life to save Isadora, they’re sworn enemies. However, I’m a sucker for ‘he falls first and harder’ so I didn’t want to question it too much. Plus the rare magic that connects them is really cool. The idea of being able to take half of your partner's pain and also send memories to each other is beautiful. This connection was explored and developed really well throughout the book. I love how Isadora and Tristan used it to communicate, and drive each other mad with both anger and desire.

My high rating for this book wasn’t decided until the very end. I was torn between giving it a 4.5 or a 5, but decided that the happiness I felt from it meant it deserved 5 stars. Plus I’d been in such a slump when I started it and I feel like it cured that.

The Enemy’s Daughter is a wonderfully romantic and epic romantasy. I loved both main characters and thought even though their relationship progressed quickly over only a matter of weeks, the development, due to the connection, felt believable. By the end of the book I wanted nothing but happiness for them both. I did think it was leading to a cliffhanger and the potential for a second book. The ending was satisfying though.

The absolutely GORGEOUS cover is what instantly drew me to The Enemy's Daughter, but unfortunately this just wasn't for me. The instant love aspect between Isadora and Tristan just killed it for me.

3.5 stars
The story of Tristan and Isolde is one of my favorites, so naturally I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this!

The writing was so addictive, I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. It held my interest the entire time, and that in itself can be a rare thing to find. The dystopian setting, with a hint of magical elements added in, made this world really intriguing and I was able to fully immerse myself in it. I would have liked to have learned more about how we came to be in this dystopian world and how magic developed from it. The most likely scenario to me is that this is the result of a nuclear war, but not much is really elaborated on that front so I can’t be certain.

Tristan and Isadora are both wonderful characters in their own rights, but their individual opposing qualities make them a well balanced couple. I enjoyed their relationship and all their interactions together. But I have to be honest, their insta love is what brought my rating down. I wanted an angsty slow burn with an abundance of yearning! But that is completely a me problem and a result of my own expectations, not the fault of the book itself.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and entertaining YA read.

This book starts by instantly grabbing your attention and continues from there with a caring heroine and high stakes amidst political turmoil.

This was a really quick read and I had a good time with it. I think readers who are more familiar with Tristan and Isolde will be more invested, but even though I only had a cursory knowledge of the story, I still had a good time.

There was a moment toward the end of the book as things are getting revealed that I went oh he’s an INCEL incel (not mmc). So while I think the discussion on society was interesting and important, it was also pretty heavy handed.

Regardless, it was fun and I enjoyed how the magical bond was used!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a review copy!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Enemy’s Daughter by Melissa Poett is a first person-POV YA post-apocalyptic fantasy romance reimagining of Tristan and Isolde. Isadora is the daughter of one of the leaders of the clansmen who have been fighting off Kingsland for years. After a competition for her hand ends in her engagement to her childhood friend, her life seems set in stone. Until she finds Tristan, the son of the former leader of Kingsland and he needs to marry her in order to save both their lives.

There are a lot of subgenres coming in to make this speculative romance. The setting is post-apocalyptic with direct mentions of bombings and not knowing who caused it but doesn’t have a specific mention of the previous nation(s) that the book takes place in. The dystopian aspects come in the form of the rampant misogyny in Isadora’s community and the violence going on between the clansmen and Kingsland. The fantasy threads are a magical system that is rooted in intimacy and allows Tristan and Isadora to share feelings, thoughts and memories as well as heal each other but it doesn’t branch out into spells nor is it really explained where this magic came from, with only sixteen families in Kingsland having access to it. I would classify this as a post-apocalyptic fantasy romance, but I think there’s an argument for calling it a speculative romance and a science fantasy romance, too.

I love the story of Tristan and Isolde despite not being the world’s biggest romantic tragedy enjoyer. There is something deeply romantic in their story even if it might make some people uncomfortable as a love potion is involved. In this version, there isn’t a love potion, but there is marriage very quickly after the pair meet and the connecting of their minds cannot be undone. Isadora didn’t know this when she agreed to the marriage nor was she aware that Tristan had strong feelings for her for a while, so she’s very much walking into this relationship on unequal footing. What helps sell the romance is that Tristan doesn’t push her to do anything overly intimate and he respects her boundaries as she processes the truth of their world.

A decent portion of the plot is Isadora not only learning how sheltered she is, but how misogynistic her community is, how dangerous that is, and the propaganda she has been fed. There’s been conversations on whether or not we need books like this anymore, but I think we do as long as there is dangerous misinformation out there and people are growing up in communities that are not welcoming or honest about reality. Tristan is patient with Isadora but is also clearly confused by how much she doesn’t know and the things that she believes about Kingsland. It’s a growing period for both of them because neither knew just how deep the propaganda ran.

I would recommend this to fans of YA Romantasy who want a post-apocalyptic twist and readers of YA who love more emotion-based magic systems

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑦’𝑠 𝐷𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟 stole my heart, soul, and probably a few tears I wasn’t planning to cry 🥹💘

This book had me 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 from the very first chapter — not just for the ✨𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄 & 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒉𝒆𝒎✨ but for the 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑦, 𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤－𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 of it all. ❤️‍🔥

She’s a healer with a 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 soul and too much 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 in her eyes. He’s the 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 assassin with 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠 for days… but somehow, when fate (𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐) ties them together, he starts to 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 again. Like—really 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍. Cue the internal sobbing. 😭💕

Their bond? It’s not just ✨𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑏𝑜𝑛𝑑✨ levels of intense — it’s the “I 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖” kind of intimacy. And that’s the stuff that 𝑤𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑠 me in the best way. 😮‍💨😩🔥

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬:
💘 Enemies to something more tender than either of them expected
🩷 Magically bonded soulmates who have zero chill but all the longing
🧠 Memory sharing = “You felt this alone?? Not anymore.”
✨ Forbidden softness blooming in a hard, broken world
🥹 The “I saved you and now I can’t stop caring” spiral we all know and love

It’s giving 𝓑𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓪𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓷𝓪 x 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓗𝓾𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓮 𝓦𝓪𝓻𝓼 x 𝓒𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓣𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓼 but with more emotional wreckage.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲, & 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. 🥹✨

I can’t wait to buy my hard cover copy 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟔𝐭𝐡!