To be fully transparent, I would like to state that I actually did not finish this book (see below), and that initially the book was fast paced at the beginning (also see below).

I wholeheartedly wanted to enjoy this story so much! Especially since it is Pride season. It was my first LGBTQIA+ book of the 2025 review season.

While I stated above, the story started out fast paced and that was only because the reader was thrown into the middle of a confusing and complex story that I’m not even sure if it’s own author knows what’s going on, or which character is speaking, despite chapter titles alluding to the fact the character mentioned in the title is that chapter’s narrator. Not true, and at one point I had to reread a chapter numerous times to figure out who was speaking, much to no avail!

Yet the narration is just the tip of the iceberg that this problematic story features. This story is riddled with formatting and editorial utter failures. It’s almost as if this book was either not edited at all (at least professionally) or the author chose to do their own editing for what appears to be a poorly done juvenile work of literature. At times I was surprised with the vocabulary and sentence structure. Amazed at these depths, but then it came off as either the author resulting in being so pretentious, or that they simply used AI technology to produce this finished copy that feels more like a poorly and barely completed first draft.

Personally I am not a fan of the cover art, but I am well aware most authors don’t have the luxury of choosing their cover art…unless they self published, and if that remains true, it makes this an additional failure upon its author.

While I am an openly gay man, I struggled to read this! I sincerely hoped to enjoy it but just because this story features an LGBTQIA+ storyline does not simply justify its publication.

At one point the titular lead character, who has these magic powers (left unexplained and confusing) could not manage to open a simple cash lock box!?

As mentioned above I did not finish this read, and not because I did not try. I managed to make it 100 of its 175 pages. It felt like a chore to read this book. It feels like an additional chore to write this review.

My suggestion to its author would be to add to the beginning of the story so that the reader can have a transparent grasp on the story, to further detail the characters’ magic powers (what are they, why do they have them, how do they have them,etc), and to be explicit in who is narrating what, or to just scrap multiple narrations and just have the lead character narrate the entire story, since it appears the story revolves around them.

I want this time back in my life. As James Joyce once said, “Life is too short to read bad books.”

𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦:

This book is fantastic! A beautiful journey of a trans teen’s evolution of stepping into their true identity and fully embracing themselves.

The world is set in a gothic historical world with a fascinating take on magic.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: easy going world building but still packed with lore and a creative magic system.

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: I LOVED Phillip! Well fleshed out and fully developed. The nuances of their personality and their journey through love, self acceptance, and standing up for themselves was well thought out.

𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: wonderful love stories that explore sexuality and gender expression. Intriguing tale, albeit slightly dry in its telling.

𝗩𝗜𝗕𝗘𝗦: Wonderfully gothic

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★★★★

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley in exchange for a review.

Phillip, a thief with the ability to remove body parts from other people makes his living through extortion. When he accidentally steals the nose of a young man named Wycliff, that he can’t help feeling a strange pull towards, he soon finds himself involved in the search for the young man’s missing sister Adeline. We follow him as he grows and changes, discovers things about himself, his powers and the world and people around him.
An interesting YA gothic horror novel, which in particular explores abuse of power and how to survive in an unjust world. Through the isolation that Lucent forces onto Phillip, the sexual/emotional/physical labor Madame Beatrice demands of Adeline and Wycliff while keeping them captive to the murder and actual doll-ification of Nyx and Adeline by the marquess, the feeling of somebody wanting to pull the character’s strings is constantly, crushingly present. It made this novel feel really claustrophobic and the characters’ actions feel desperate and understandable. I have to say I enjoyed the horror aspects a lot more than the romance/friendship aspects as these felt a bit underdeveloped at times, but since I prefer horror to romance I was fine with that.
The story mostly follows Phillip as he discovers his identity, from his insecurities in himself while he was an egg and the immense joy and relief he feels once he manages to feel secure in his identity. I do wish he had been a bit more affirmed by the other characters, especially since his worry about his trans identity became somewhat overlapping with his worry about lies he told about his past. I would have liked a clearer distinction there. In general this story combines a rather fast paced identity discovery in a world where there are no words for trans people or any other queer communities with a later attempt at passing through the use of magic and focusses much less on the internal struggle and strive of coming out, which I found an interesting approach.
I also wish there had been a bit more of an exploration of the magic system. In particular there is one scene that does not fit with Lucent’s narration of where magic comes from ([spoilers] it is implied that Phillip was able to pop of limbs already as a baby [/end spoilers]), but this interesting storyline is not pursued further and ends up simply ignored, to the point where I wonder if it was just a plot hole, instead of a different approach to the magic system. While it is only a very minor aspect and not a big deal, I found myself caught up in wondering if this was going to be addressed and found myself disappointed when it wasn’t.
I also enjoyed the first two parts of the story more than the last part and found that the story wrapped up a bit too fast and neatly for my personal tastes. However, I still enjoyed reading it and think this was a fun trans fantasy horror YA with interesting pacing, a really fun premise and a good execution, despite my minor issues with some parts.
Finally I want to say that I do think that this book does need an additional trigger warning for suicide, which is not given, but it does play a (very minor) role in the past backstory of a character and another action can be interpreted that way and so I do think this should have been warned for. As always however, I find it very good that the author decided to include trigger warnings in the book, I enjoyed that!

TW: alcohol abuse, abuse (physical, emotional), blood, coercive control, deadnaming, death (on screen), gaslighting, gore, murder (including attempted murder of a child), sexism, transphobia, sexual abuse (implied), suicide, violence

Brilliantly beautiful exploration of the trans experience through a gory lens of magic. I loved the inner monologue of Phillip, the gritty setting and the rich side characters. A heartfelt horror story!

Thank you to NetGalley, TBR & Beyond Tours, and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

The Duke Steals Hearts and Other Body Parts is a wildly original, darkly whimsical fantasy that blends body horror, queer identity, and romance in a way that feels both bold and tender. With its gritty city streets, sharp class divides, and a protagonist who literally pops off limbs with magic, this book is as weird as it is heartfelt—and that’s a big part of its charm.

Phillip is a standout character: a trans teen navigating a world that fears his power and mistrusts his identity, yet who longs for love, belonging, and something more than survival. His dynamic with Lucent is hauntingly toxic, and the slow realization of that, paired with his transformation into Lord Phillip, gives the book real emotional depth. The masquerade-as-a-duke subplot is playful, layered, and surprisingly romantic as Phillip falls in love—not just with Adeline, but with the person he gets to be in her orbit.

The mystery of the missing girls adds a pulpy, Gothic flair that culminates in a satisfyingly eerie twist: the girls aren’t dead… they’re undead. The undead reveal manages to be both grotesque and empowering, echoing the book’s larger themes of bodily autonomy, reinvention, and reclaiming identity.

This is a gorgeously strange, queer coming-of-age wrapped in con artistry, necromancy, and noble disguise. Elias Cole’s debut is not just clever—it’s got real heart (and yes, possibly a jar of them too).

I loved the dark and grungy vibe of this book! It created the sense of being cold yet packed under blankets for warm - if that makes sense. I thought it was a very interesting take on gender and I adored Phillips! This book is truly one of a kind, I could not compare it to anything else while reading it. The character arc and storyline were all very unique and the writing style was humorous and accessible! I can’t wait to see what else this author will write in the realm of YA!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Page Street YA for access to this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was everything I was expecting it to be and more. I'm so happy I decided to read this. Phillip is a tough character, and not what I was expecting the main character to be. But that honestly just made it so much better. The found family in this book is cute, if not a little messy, but what found family isn't? The characters added a variety of layers to this book, and I honestly would love to see a sequel to this book, though I did thoroughly enjoy the ending. Overall I definitely recommend this quirky YA queer fantasy.

I just finished The Duke Steals Hearts & Other Body Parts by Elias Cold, and wow—it’s weird in the absolute best way. It starts off wild, like, within the first few pages there’s this intense scene where a girl gets attacked, and from that moment I was all in. The main character, Phyllis, is a trans teen who can magically remove people’s body parts (yeah, it’s a thing) and ransom them back. He’s kind of morally gray but also so endearing? I weirdly loved him from the start—even when he steals some guy’s nose.

The world is gritty and gothic, full of secrets and magic, and the plot kept twisting in ways I didn’t expect. There’s a fake identity, a missing girl mystery, and this eerie turn where you realize the missing girls aren’t dead... they’re undead. Total goosebumps.

But under all the magic and madness, it’s really about someone trying to become a better version of themselves and figuring out who they are. It’s queer, it’s creepy, it’s heartfelt—I seriously didn’t want it to end. If you like stories that are a little dark and totally original, you’ve got to read this one.

I love the concept of this, but personally I did not particularily vibe with the writing style. I can see why people would love it though and I adored the representation in here.

The story focuses on queer character Phyllis or Phillip depending on how they are feeling. They have the very odd ability to remove body parts from other people, hence the title. Hearts don’t get stolen until almost the end and (spoilers as well as a trigger warning) it gets very messy. The MC works with a very toxic immortal character who desperately needs a therapy session and has somehow fallen in love with our MC. Of course, nothing can be easy and the MC has become fixated on what should be their mark, Wycliff and his missing sister, Adeline,
The characters of this book (most of them anyway) need to be protected at all costs. I loved the journeys that they grow through and the relationships that developed. My one gripe with this book was that the world felt small. There is a lot of potential with the depth of the characters and it felt a little bit lacking in world building.
I am definitely looking forward to more work from Elias Cold.

This had some really interesting ideas, but left me wondering if all the plot threads were fully resolved. To start with, I loved the gothic atmosphere of this one, and I think the character backstories (Lucent in particular, and his and Phillip’s toxic dynamic) were really compelling. The writing was well-done. But ultimately, things seemed to come from left field, themes were heavy-handed (even for YA) and yet I wasn’t satisfied the full story had been told. Still, I will look out for other work from Cold, whose storytelling definitely has potential.

✨✨ARC REVIEW✨✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

‼️‼️ check trigger warnings this book can get dark at times‼️‼️

Im not even sure what to categorize this book as. It’s like a YA historical horror drama if that makes sense!
I truly loved this book, I enjoyed how the MC really figured out who they want to be as they transitioned from Phyllis to Phillip it was nice seeing them become more sure and comfortable in their skin and it really benefited their use of magic. This book definitely has an interesting magic system, the MC is able to painlessly remove other people’s body parts and hold them for ransom which was such a funny thought.
I also enjoyed the use of the undead and how the MC falls in love with an undead girl and how they figure out how to make their relationship work out despite her being undead.
If you liked the time period of Belladonna by Adalyn Grace and the overall gothic feeling of that book you’re definitely going to enjoy this book! Thank you @tbrbeyondtours & @esnowauthor for gifting me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! If you want to see more posts about this boook check out the tour link on their websitehttps://tbrandbeyondtours.com/ #TheDukeStealsHeartsandOtherBodyParts #TBRBeyondTours #EliSnow#yabookstagram #bookreviewer #bookrecs

Thank you so much to Elias Cold and Page Street YA for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I would give this novel 3.5 stars. I think the overall story, characters, and writing are quite great. I really enjoyed how the main character's trans-storyline was handled with some beautiful conversations. I found each of the characters to provide a unique aspect to the story and enjoyed that each was given time to shine. This was especially true for Nyx, who was given further background information even if she was not as large a character as others.

I think where I struggled with this read was the pacing at the start of the book. It felt both slow and swift? It almost felt like there was so much I needed to know about the universe before I started reading, to the point I wondered if it was a sequel. The dynamic between Phillip and Lucent for the first half or so of the story was blurred. And then the second quarter of the book was where all of the pieces started to make sense and I started really enjoying the story.

Would recommend to anyone who is looking for a somewhat cozy, emotional story. Especially for those who enjoy stand-alone YA stories.

3.5 - Thank you so much to TBR and Beyond Tours, Elias Cold & Page Street Publishing for the complimentary copy of the book!

This book is out now!

I was drawn to this book from the title and this cover! This book was so different compared to other YA books I have read. I am not sure what genre to classify it as but I guess YA historical fiction - horror. I was nervous going into it as I thought it was going to be British historical but it turns out it was not.

There was a lot of things that happened in this book and occasionally I had to pause what I was doing and revert to the text to make sure I heard correctly. And yet all the pieces came together!

This was told from 3 point of views - Phyllis/Phillip, Wycliff and Lucent. Phillip our fearless lead whom got this magical ability to steal body parts from people. Which leads us to Wycliff who Phillip stole his nose but after learning his sister went missing something change for Phillip. How does Lucent tie into this? Lucent is his partner in crime. My heart was sad for Phillip as he loved Lucent and considered him family but he was just a business arrangement. I appreciated that the author gave us the perspective of Wycliff and Lucent.

I just love how Phyllis turning into Phillips.  I love how the other characters question it but then just kind of go with it without any sort of ramifications. I was just so happy that could be who they wanted to be pretty much just start over in this new body. They truly felt so much happier when they were wearing men’s clothing.

The audiobook was narrated by Em Grosland who is a new narrator to me. I thought they did a great job! Even though they didn’t change their voice when the POV changed, I was able to follow pretty well. Their voice had a nice tone that made listening a breeze.

This book had a bit of romance, a bit of adventure and overall a fun time! Looking forward to see what the other does in the future!

Thank you to TBR & Beyond and Page Street YA for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This book is so much more than a YA horror novel. As absurd as the synopsis may sound at first glance, what unfolds is an astonishingly layered story brimming with heart, wit, and the kind of unexpected tenderness that sneaks up on you between moments of gothic absurdity and razor-sharp commentary.

With a Regency-inspired setting that leans heavily into the grime beneath the glamour, this book explores not only the twisted back alleys of a fantastical world but also the very real power dynamics of class, gender, and identity. The privilege of titles, the social weight of masculinity, and the vulnerability of queerness in such a structured world are all examined with care.

Phillip (or Phyllis, depending on where we meet him in the narrative) is a trans protagonist wielding one of the most original magical abilities I’ve ever seen in fantasy—he can remove body parts, his own and others', with ease. What might sound grotesque on paper becomes a strangely intimate form of self-exploration and rebellion, a metaphor for bodily autonomy and transformation that never feels heavy-handed.

The writing is clever, heartfelt, and beautifully strange. It balances fast-paced plotting with introspective moments, delivering a story that is equal parts dark fairytale, mystery, and coming-of-age. This book manages to be grim, hilarious, and hopeful all at once, with messaging that runs far deeper than its bizarre premise might suggest. The found family elements, the slow-burn self-acceptance arc, and the unraveling of toxic attachments were especially well handled.

I couldn’t put it down. This book overdelivers at every turn, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. An absolutely standout read.

Follow me on Instagram and on TikTok @mythicalreadsreviewer for more reviews!

A trans teen steals and ransoms body parts with magic begins to investigate a string of missing girls after escaping their partner's situation and falling in love with one of the missing girls. Phyllis has magic and works with their partner Lucent to steal and ransom body parts. Phyllis thought they could be in love with Lucent and that Lucent loved them...but his love comes with conditions and Phyllis is sick and tired of Lucent's love and wants a better love...so they run away and becomes duke Phillip. As Lord Phillip of Rabbiton, Phyllis gains a title and begins investigating the missing girls. and begins to fall in love with one of the girls.Yet when Phillip discovers the girls they aren't dead... or rather undead and now Phillip has to find out what his magic entails and what happened to the girls. This started off with a promising story but just became boring and lackluster sadly. I wish I could have liked it more but the story itself just got boring and the characters never really got to evolve and become intriguing. I just didn't feel the romance and the overall stakes just didn't feel there. Sadly, this was a miss for me but I do think that other readers should give it a go just to read the unique story.

Release Date: May 13, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Page Street Publishing | Page Street YAor sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was very difficult to get through. I won’t be sharing a review of this book on other review sites because I have no desire to drag a trans+ book online, but the lack of coherent plot, poor character development, and wonky pacing made this less than enjoyable to read.

The Duke Steals Hearts & Other Body Parts is filled with excitingly unsettling magic, an abundance of power struggles, and very lovable undead girls that'll steal your heart along with our dear chaotic Duke.

I am certain this is something i would have ADORED as a teenager. In my late 20s, I still ate this one up. And in a dark regency setting with Trans and Queer rep?! YES PLEASE. There were definitely a slew of bad decision making (honestly, very on brand for the age group of the characters) that had be simultaneously sighing in exasperation and unable to to put the book down. In this book, Elias Cold creates characters that you want to see make it out (and make out maybe?) on the brighter side and see them emerge victorious over inner turmoil, toxic relationships, and corrupt systems.

This is one that I would definitely recommend to YA readers and readers who like chaotic main characters, eerie regency vibes, and a bit of body horror. I'm also excited to see Cold's future work!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read! The magic in this book was really different from anything else I've read!

Yet another book that is not at all bad, but very Not For Me! The voice and prose are distinctly YA (which I can’t fault it for, because it IS YA, but there’s YA with complex prose and YA with simpler prose, and this is the latter, which I just don’t enjoy), but I have to applaud the unusual magic Cold came up with, especially with how it interacts with the MC being trans (which he’s not yet quite articulated to himself at the start of the book). I also feel like the storyline is pretty unique; there’s something about it that feels unusual, in a very refreshing way. I think it’s that the MC already cares about the missing girls before he knows any of them personally? I can’t remember the last time I saw a story built around someone setting out to rescue complete strangers, and I approve very much!

Basically: a book I’d happily hand over to the teenagers I know, and an author I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on. (I think they have an Adult debut this year under another penname…? Must investigate!)