I have read a lot of fantasy and romantasy books, this one is at the top of the list. I loved the magical powers being connected to tarot cards, it was a nice change that added so much depth to the story. The author fleshed out the characters so you actually cared for them, instead of focusing on the main characters and everyone else is just window dressing. We saw the good and the bad of magic, and a slow burn enemies to lovers storyline that was super hot! The only thing I’m bummed about is that the book ended and I want so much more of the story!

This book was so much fun. I love that tarot cards are the base for the magic system. It flows so well with the whole world and characters. The banter between the two main characters is top notch. Hopefully there is more since we were left on a cliffhanger!

First of all a huge thanks to Jaclyn Rodriguez, Zando Projects & NetGalley for the e-arc!!

4.5 stars! I absolutely love this book. The magic system, the plot twists, the writing? It’s all great!
Also Draven?! An amazing mmc. He’s broody but loving and Rune is such a well thought out fmc! The friendship in this book was absolutely lovely and the tarot card magic system was so unique and well executed. One of my new faves of this year💗

En un mundo dividido entre mortales e inmortales, cada año cien humanos son forzados a cruzar el Muro que separa sus tierras como penitencia por una antigua rebelión. Rune Ryker, marcada por la pérdida de su familia a manos de los inmortales, ha vivido años escondida, sobreviviendo como espía para el Señor de los Páramos de Poniente. Pero ahora, está lista para tomar el control de su destino: infiltrarse en la Selección y cruzar al reino inmortal.

Su objetivo no es la redención. Es venganza.

Cuando es elegida por el príncipe Ansel y capturada por la atención de su misterioso y cruel hermano mayor, el príncipe Draven, Rune se ve arrastrada a un mundo de magia letal, juegos de poder y secretos que amenazan con consumirla. Obligada a prestar juramento de lealtad al despiadado rey Silas, Rune es transformada, física y mágicamente, sin su consentimiento.

Atrapada entre enemigos inmortales, alianzas peligrosas y un príncipe que parece disfrutar demasiado de su sufrimiento, Rune deberá decidir hasta dónde está dispuesta a llegar por la verdad, la libertad… y la venganza.



--

Estuvo bien, pero el estilo de escritura es muy juvenil y no estaba para eso.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

Wyverns, magic, rebels and a sexy brooding prince?! I’m in. I was hooked from the beginning and read it in just a day. The characters were compelling and likeable. Draven was dreamy and rune was clucky and kinda bad ass. I wish I could read book 2 immediately!!

My sincere thanks to Jaclyn Rodriguez, Zando Projects, and Netgalley for the Advanced Copy to read and share my honest review.

A Vow in Vengeance is the story of a young woman, orphaned as a child, who defies the odds and desperately rebuilds her life to a place where she is in a position to either reunite with the family stolen from her, or to seek her revenge and burn it all down trying. When she finds herself at The Selection, she learns quickly that the facts she’d been given regarding the Immortals were wrong. Now she’s stuck in the Immortal Realm and forced to reside with the infuriating-yet-charming Prince Draven, the only other being who possesses the rarest form of Tarot magic. There, she must learn to trust and unite forces with the Prince in order to get what she came for or to scrap her own plans by replacing them with a scheme that may have a far-wider impact on the lives of those she cares for.

I gave this book a 4.5 star rating for Likeable Characters, good story telling, overall pacing, the Banter! & the spicy tension between MCs, and the overall framework that made this story binge-worthy. I adored Rune’s Tough-as-Nails attitude and never-ending supply of snark, but also how intellectual she was. Her motivations for revenge were relatable and the methodical way in which she sought out her plan added realism to the emotional situation she later found herself in. Draven was equal parts mysterious and Broody as a Cinn-roll MMC and I found myself constantly craving to know more about him.

Draven initially felt like a bit of a Rhysand-mimic (not necessarily a bad thing) but over time I found those similarities dissipated and I enjoyed the process of getting to know him better. I really wish that there’d been a bit more substance written into Draven’s past, the reasoning behind his demeanor, his motivations, and his relationship with others; which I suspect will be laid out in future installments. I admittedly felt very unsure as to whether he and Rune were truly fated mates or not, and suspect this was also purposeful by the Author’s design of the series. Perhaps Jaclyn might consider adding additional chapters from his POV to fill in these gaps, which would both increase the page count and give more information to the readers on his character, the world, and his strained relationship with his father. Even if it shows up in an Epilogue it would positively contribute to the overall story.

The Tarot-based magic system was super fun, but I do fear that some readers may need to be better informed as to the history & mysticism of Tarot. One method of meeting this need could be to write in a few more chapters with detailed "class time" where lessons are teaching both Rune AND the reader about the magic system & history. I would also like for there to be even more history in Book 1 in regard to the Gods and better clarify how the people have evolved over time to get us to the point of fighting amongst themselves and lording over the mortals as they now do.

As far as debut Romantasy books go, this one could use a bit of refinement in terms of FMC character consistency (as The Wraith, I found it hard to believe she’d trust the enchanted pens without better evidence that it wasn't another spy tool), fleshing out some of the side characters a bit more so the reader is more invested in them, better explaining the world history/Gods, and having fewer gaps in time (there were a lot of “fade-to-days-later” moments where Jaclyn could have infused those spaces with more character building & world development points to enhance the overall story.

Truly I enjoyed the story and sincerely wished it had been a longer book. I absolutely loved the merging of different immortal beings from around the globe by mingling Druids, Elves and Seraphim, and adding a touch of Celtic lore with the Changlings. The building tension between Rune and Draven had excellent pacing, despite feeling that it would be enhanced if we were to learn more about Draven’s side of things. The ending was beautifully done and while it ended with a definite cliffhanger, I appreciated that it diverged from the common methods of leaving readers on the edge of their seats with a bunch of trauma that you must process over the time until the next book releases. I’ll definitely be recommending this book to my fellow Romantasy readers, and I've already pre-ordered a Hardback copy for my personal library, which I'll re-read once the next book releases.

Excellent Read for those who loved: Carissa Broadbent’s’ Nyaxia Series, Rebecca Yarros’ The Empyrean Series, & Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter Universe.
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, Forced Proximity, Slow Burn, Banter, Tarot Magic, Academia
Triggers: On-page assault & attempted SA, NonCon touching/kissing, on-page suicide (of an unnamed character, not detailed), Grief & Loss, forced assimilation, Violence/death, Slavery/Forced servitude

It was a good story. The writing was decent. The world building wasn’t great, but it was forgiveable. My biggest issue is the fact that there were modern food items in a non modern world. That were totally unnecessary to the story to even mention to begin with. Why are we talking about aoli and caramel lattes in a fantasy realm that’s not even a dual realm to a modern world. It was weird.

This review is already published on my goodreads account!

Tarot card magic system? Count me in. For a debut author, I am highly impressed!! This was attention grabbing, every chapter of the way through. I really liked the fmc, Rune, and her wanting vengeance really made you want it too. The other characters were so, so good and had such a unique story line that I HIGHLY enjoyed. It had a perfect mix of everything honestly like the magic, training college, quest, etc…And don’t even get me started on the plot twists, OH MY GOD!! Big thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the gift of reading this!

A Vow in Vengeance - Jaclyn Rodriguez - ARC Review

First of all: thank you NetGallery for this amazing ARC!

3.75 stars ⭐

This was such a fierce, fast-paced romantasy debut! A Vow in Vengeance blends dark academia, tarot-based magic, and enemies-to-lovers tension into a story that’s both emotionally intense and action-packed.

Rune Ryker is a standout heroine—driven, sharp, and unapologetically vengeful. Her journey into the Immortal Realms to uncover the truth about her family leads her into a brutal magical academy, a dangerous prince, and a power she never expected. The tarot magic system is super unique and adds a mystical edge I really enjoyed.

The romance with Prince Draven is a slow-burn full of banter and tension (yes, there’s fake dating and only one bed 😅). While some tropes felt a bit overdone, the chemistry still worked. I did wish the pacing was a bit more balanced—some twists were predictable, and others felt rushed. A few side characters and political threads could’ve used more depth too.

Still, this was a solid read with a lot of promise. If you liked Fourth Wing or Crescent City, this one’s worth checking out. I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel!

Thank you NetGallery for this opportunity to read this as a ARC.
DNF chapter 20
I have given this book a 2 star due to not been able to get into it. At the start i thought hmm I might like this too half way thinking this isn't me.

While the blurb certainly drew me in, the execution was lacking originality and cohesiveness. Whenever a book has anything to do with tarot I'm immediately drawn in but I almost wish it hadn't been a part of this story - it just felt out of place. Having to pull a card out in order to use magic bugged me for some reason. I also feel that this is just a big jumbled mix of SO many other romantasy books. It's as if parts of other books were placed into a jar and randomly selected one by one and used for this story. I love a badass FMC but she is just like any other that I've read about. I didn't really care for the MMC either, and the banter between the two never compelled me. This seems to have some pretty high reviews so I'm sure others will enjoy, it just wasn't for me personally. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

A Vow In Vengeance
By Jaclyn Rodriguez


🖤 Romantasy
🔮 Dark academia
🖤 Fantasy
🔮 Magic
🖤 Druids, Elves, Seraphs & Humans
🔮 Enemies to Lovers
🖤 Fake dating/fake fated mates
🔮 Coming of rage
🖤 There's only one bed

In a human world that's been all but wiped out by the immortals Rune is on a mission to be chosen in the upcoming yearly 'Selection' in hopes of finding her family.
You see the Immortals have built a wall dividing the realms so that the humans are left out to suffer, but with a decree in place that allows one of the three immortal realms to come and choose 100 humans per year of their choosing, do to with as they please.
This year it is the Druids turn and Rune is determined, she has no idea what is waiting on the other side of the wall or if she will even live long enough to see it, but she manages to catch the eye of the eldest druid princeling and that's a start right?

So just what's in store for her and will she survive long enough to find her family?

Dive into a world full of tarot magic, battles against Mythical Creatures, secrets, spicy tension and Banter in this dark academia.

This debut novel by Jaclyn is absolutely insane in the best way, I could not put it down!


A Vow In Vengeance releases January 13th 2026 😘🖤


#romantasy #romantasyreads #fantasy #fantasyreads #darkacademia #magic #tarot #enemiestolovers #onlyonebed #fakedating #fakefatedmates #comingofrage #druids #Vengeance #princeling #changeling #AVowInVengeance #JaclynRodriguez #Zando #SlowBurn

Thank you Netgalley and Zando for the ARC.

WOW. This for me is a 6 star read and exactly what I needed. I think sometimes it's really difficult to write a new exciting romantasy series, but Jaclyn has done just that!

If you love ACOTAR, Cruel Prince and magic like One Dark Window get ready for your new favourite read. From the first page, I was hooked. The magic system being linked to arcana tarot cards gave me hint of One Dark Window's magic system. The humans vs immortals gave me ACOTAR and Cruel Prince feelings.

This story follows Rune a human who has had all of her family taken by Immortals. But now she's determined to be selected herself to get revenge. I thought the plot moved quickly and also made sure to tell you enough to let you follow along, I loved the twists and turns as everything was revealed.

What I loved the most along with the plot was the romance - Draven, our prince of shadows. The development between him and Rune was electric - I couldn't stop reading and giggling over them. Some of what he says just made me swoon!

Our tropes are Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating/Fated Mates, One Bed and Coming of Rage - what more could you ask for, I ate it up!

If you are looking for your new favourite romantasy series, Jaclyn has giving you one here = I know this is going to be so hyped when it comes out! I can't believe it's not our until January, I need a physical copy in my hands now!

Check this out when on January 13th you don't want to miss it!

Arc Review !!

Tropes: forced proximity, tarot magic, fake mates, magic academy, mutual revenge/oaths

Let me just start off by saying wow... This book was incredible, I was hooked throughout the entire read and didn't put it down until the very end! The entire idea of using the tarot cards for different abilities/powers was genius and I adored every minute of learning about everything! It follows a mortal girl turned wraith who has lost her entire family to a selection process via immortals, on a quest for revenge she enters the selection with the purpose of being chosen only to take a blood oath and attend a magical academy with the prince of the druids. Can Rune follow through her path to vengeance or will she fall for the one thing she hates most?

The only thing relatively critical I have to say about this book is that I wish it were longer! I have no idea how I'm going to wait for the next book in this series waiting to see what the author has in store for us!

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Zando for the gifted e-arc! Go check this book out on pub day (jan. 13) for a great fantasy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Jaclyn Rodriguez for this unforgettable ARC!

Let me start by saying: THIS. BOOK. IS. GOING. TO. FLY. OFF. THE. SHELVES.

I haven’t devoured a book in one sitting in months—and this one? I devoured it like I was starving. It has everything. A wildly creative, fresh magic system—scratch that, THREE distinct systems for the three unique races in the book. The twists had me clutching my imaginary pearls, and that cliffhanger??? Jaclyn, my love, how dare you. I say this with every ounce of my being: I NEED BOOK TWO yesterday.

Our fierce FMC Rune? PERFECTION. Not once did she give “annoying heroine.” She’s powerful, grounded, and gave off the exact energy I think of when I picture strong women. She didn’t need saving—but wow, the chemistry between her and the MMC? Chef’s kiss. Their dynamic was electric, and the spice was delightfully on point.

Let’s talk about the worldbuilding: magical animals, magical species, just MAGIC in all caps. The action scenes? Impeccably written—I was in it. And yes, I cried. This book brought tears, thrills, chills, and made my soul do somersaults.

But here’s the warning, dear reader: this book will resurrect you from your reading slump...only to destroy you emotionally and leave you staring at the wall when it's over, putting you BACK into the slump.

Jaclyn Rodriguez—if you're out there, hear my plea: if you need someone to read even a word of book two... I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE. PICK ME. CHOOSE ME.

Okay, I’m emotionally unwell now.
kai byeeeeeee.

This debut has all the markings of a romatasy: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a morally gray lead. I’ve been obsessed with tarot magic ever since one dark window and I’m so glad to see it creeping into the genre more and more! I find it so interesting and refreshing.

I actually wished we had a bit more world building since I enjoyed the system, but that’s one me cause I love my super long books with a million details haha!

The book is not as much of a slow burn as I prefer, but it’s fast paced and filled with banter and tension. It has typical romatasy tropes and characters but honestly I didn’t mind. Tall and broody - check, snarky fmc - check. But beyond that, there’s found family, adventure, hidden identities. I look forward to see where the story goes!

This one is definitely for the romantasy girls! It's fun and unique with its magic system. The tension was chefs kiss!

With a magic system that uses tarot cards A Vow of Vengeance feels fresh. I loved the world building and school setting. The main character, Rune was headstrong and interesting to follow. The romance had lots of heat.

I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thanks netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I will say this A Vow In Vengeance does not read like it was written by a debut author. There is a mastery of words, plot, and character building that reads like a seasoned writer wrote this. Rune and Draven were so sexy that I was fanning myself through out half the book and most was just for the tension and banter flowing from them. Rune was so amazing she had nothing to lose in entering the Forge but to find her family she would do anything. Also the Tarot magic was refreshing to read about. When Runes magic turns out to be rare she is moved in with Prince Draven who is the only other one to have it. And he is someone she shouldn't trust lol. The cliffhanger end was so breathtaking and heartbreaking but boy does it have me excited for book 2 which I hope releases soon after book 1 does im going to have a bad book hangover with this one thats for sure.

Review was posted July 1, 2025

This story was STELLAR.
The world building and magic system were one of a kind and seamlessly done. The different social classes and their different purposes and respective magic/powers was intriguing and unique.
I felt fully immersed from start to finish.✨

Many of the side characters left lasting impressions from the first meeting. And we all know I love a found family dynamic. While this was more subtly done, it was incredibly done and still fulfilling.🖤

We can’t forget about our fiery, strong willed, incredible FMC, Rune. Or our absolutely perfect winged princeling MMC, Draven. 🔥
Some moments in this book were absolute nail biters, but I’d relive every tense moment to enjoy it all over again. Plus, the slow burn tension and pining was PERFECTION.😮‍💨🖤 our MC’s are simply electric together.

The twists and turns through the story had me wanting to know more, and I had to physically force myself to take breaks because I was so enthralled with this book.

Releasing Jan 2026, you won’t want to miss this one! ✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 6 STARS — A Book That Owns My Soul Until 2026
There are books that linger in your mind… and then there are books that haunt you until you get your hands on the next one. This book? It wrecked me, in the best way. And the worst part? Book one isn’t even coming out until 2026. If the sequel isn't already in the works, I will personally light a candle and pray to the publishing gods. Because I need more.
This was an easy 6-star read for me, blown away doesn’t even begin to cover it. There’s adventure, peril, three mysterious kingdoms of immortals, forced proximity, fated mates, one bed (YES!), and a magical system inspired by tarot cards that felt fresh, unique, and so well-executed. Oh, and did I mention the slow burn romance? Because wow. It hurt so good.
💥 The World & Premise
Each year, 100 mortals are chosen by immortal kingdoms as punishment for a failed rebellion generations ago. Rune, our fierce and unforgettable heroine, wants to be selected, not out of desperation, but because it’s her only chance to uncover the truth about her missing family. Alone since she was 14, Rune has survived by being sharp, guarded, and completely self-reliant. She doesn’t trust easily, how could she? Survival was her only priority. But beneath that hardened shell is the kind of FMC I live for: smart, scrappy, spirited, and unapologetically strong.
👑 The Romance (and the Prince Who Stole My Heart)
Then there's Draven. Prince of one of the immortal realms. He’s not your typical gray brooder, he’s confident, a little arrogant, and yet still feels like the softest cinnamon roll underneath all that bravado. He’s drawn to Rune immediately but respects her fire. He doesn’t try to smother her independence, he supports it, even when it hurts. Their chemistry? Electric. Their tension? Deliciously unbearable.
🔮 The Magic System
Even if you don’t know a thing about tarot, don’t worry, this book makes the magic system completely accessible. It’s inspired by tarot symbolism, but in a way that adds depth, mystery, and magic without ever feeling confusing or overdone. Every aspect of the worldbuilding, from the lore to the politics to the stakes, feels thoughtful and fully realized.

If you love romantasy with high stakes, emotionally complex characters, an addictive slow burn, and a rich, immersive world, this is the book for you. I’m not just recommending it, I’m begging you to read it. Just be prepared: it will own your heart and leave you screaming for more.
Bring on book two. I’ll be first in line.