A Vow in Vengeance is the perfect mix of dark academia and fantasy.

The magic system being built around tarot was fascinating. I've read a lot of books with elemental magic but using it through the lens of the the minor arcana - just yes. The major arcana translating into magical abilities - also yes.

<blockquote> Until fate has her say, and time washes away the name on my grave..you are mine. </blockquote>

The banter. The tension. The romance.

While we have the trope of the dark-and-shadowy mmc, and the special-haired-savior-complex fmc, the heart of them brings a rawness to them adds a deeper layer. Draven has his sarcasm and innuendos but they come across much more charismatic than jerk (which some authors really seem to struggle with). Rune, while hardened by life, hasn't fully closed off her heart. As those around her support her, you see some of the cracks being healed.

I loved the characters, I would have loved a bit more world-building. The magic system was clear and thought out but I would have absolutely loved more immersion into the magic education. Girl, let me go to tarot magic class with you.

Although the take on magic is so different, there are a lot of familiar tropes. I don't think this is a bad thing honestly - they're popular tropes for a reason. Jaclyn Rodriquez was able to deliver the moments I crave (looking at the singular bed) in an unexpected way.

Honestly, a lot of the book was unexpected in the best way. The ending? Took me out. I actually need the next book immediately - I have to know what happens. I also need to know if my theory is right.

A Vow in Vengeance will be one romantasy's next hits. I'm calling it now.

<I>Thank you to Jaclyn Rodriquez, Zando/Slowburn and NetGalley for this digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.</I>

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

A Vow in Vengeance // 4 stars

So I really enjoyed this book! When it first started out I wasn't too sure about it. The creatures in this book are different from your usual vampire/ werewolf/ fae so that sets the book apart in the beggining. I do like the tarot magic in this book. I think it makes things intersting. The best part is the enimies to lovers storyline. I did enjoy the romance and the banter between the two main characters. There were also some twists and turns that I didn't see coming that kept me on my toes and super interested in the story. If you like fun banter/ magic/ and fantasy I think you will really like this book. I am definitely looking forward to book 2 in this series. I feel invested in this story and can't wait to see what happens next.

Very solid 4⭐️! Tarot magic system, dark academic, dark feathered winged MMC? I signed up for that eARC so fast- this was a lot of fun - it just ended a bit too soon!

“We are written into the other’s stars, our paths unbreakably intertwined. You have entangled yourself in my soul, your thorns rooting between my ribs, and I cannot breathe without thinking of how sharply I want you. You are my vexation, my obsession..” Draven is yet another Princeling MMC joining the book boyfriend club 😍

I love a unique magic system and so I had a lot of fun learning this one and there is definitely still so much more to come! We only scratched the surface and for this type of romantasy/fantasy book I need about 100 extra pages which is why it’s not a five star from me.

A solid debut romantasy that I absolutely ate up! I wouldn’t say it’s particularly slow burn but there is tension and angst. Loved the little found family that evolves but really wish we had more time to expand on them along with more in-depth world building.

So exited for the next book in the series!

Thank you NetGalley, Jaclyn and Zando for the opportunity to review this book!

For a debt book this was really really good!

I enjoyed the world building and the tarot cards magic, I loved learning about Rune and how she got to where she is in the end of the book, I loved the banter between her and the princeling, and a few plot twists thrown in to keep you on the edge!

If you love a slow burn but touch her and die vibes and magic tarot cards you will absolutely love this book!

I was drawn to this book by its intriguing premise of tarot magic, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite work for me.

The main issue I had was the information overload. There were moments when I felt bombarded with details, but then other times when I felt like I was missing crucial information. At the start, I took a screenshot of the tarot cards and their associated magic, and I’m glad I did because there were times I had to refer back to it. The magic system wasn’t always clear, and it was difficult to follow at times.

I also struggled to connect with the characters. Rune was fine, but Prince Draven didn’t resonate with me at all. His character felt off from the beginning, and I never really warmed up to him. Since I couldn’t get invested in their romance, it didn’t do much for me either. Without that emotional connection, the stakes felt flat.

Worldbuilding was another hurdle. The information overload made it hard for me to picture the world clearly. I couldn't remember distinct details about the various creatures or people, and I’m pretty sure the druids are associated with the color red? But beyond that, I was lost. I wanted more clarity to help me visualize the setting and feel immersed in it.

Lastly, the fantasy school setting, something that’s becoming more common, just didn’t appeal to me this time. It’s a trope I’m growing tired of, and it didn’t add much to the story for me.

Overall, while the concept was promising, the execution fell short. I won’t be continuing with the series, unfortunately.

This book was AMAZING! Jaclyn did such a great job with this book. Morally grey mmc? Sign me up!
Tarot Magic with forced proximity? AMAZING.
You must add this book to your TBR, you will not regret it.

Thank you NetGalley, Jaclyn and Zando for the opportunity to review this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️ 🌶️
RELEASE DATE: January 13, 2026 ✨

Quick thought:
A debut romantasy with tarot magic and a winged MMC, highly requested on NetGalley? Sign me up!

My brief summary:
Rune Ryker has lost everything to the Immortals and their Selection. Fueled by grief and rage, she spent years training in the shadows, harnessing herself into a weapon.

Disguised and determined, Rune makes her way to this years’ Selection, hoping to find herself positioned to not only dismantle the Immortal society from within, but also to find her family; taken from her in years’ past.

There’s just a few things she didn’t factor in: taking a blood oath, becoming an Immortal, attending a ruthless magical academy, and the devilishly handsome son of the King of Druids, Prince Draven.

Can Rune truly forge her path to vengeance? Or will the blurred lines between right and wrong, love and hate, force her to fail?

Highlights/Tropes:
👤 Single POV
🃏 Tarot magic system
☄️ Forced proximity
👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 Fake relationship
🛏️ Only one bed
🔮 Prophecy
☠️ Touch her and 💀
🪄 Magical items

Characters:
FMC:
Rune
Fierce, vengeful, and isolated.
The former Wraith of Westfall. Moon-cursed. The second in centuries to pull the ‘World’ Arcana. A former mortal, made Druid-changeling.
Rune is a good FMC. She’s strong and determined, and would rather burn the world down than admit defeat. Thrust into an entirely new world, with magic she doesn’t understand, it was interesting to watch her navigate the different situations. Her love and devotion to her family was pure, and watching her untangle her feelings towards Draven made me giggle. Interested to see where her journey will continue in book 2!

MMC:
Draven
Ambitious, determined, and tortured.
The crown prince of Sedah. Holder of the ‘World’ Arcana. A powerful, dangerous, and ruthlessly ambitious Immortal with horns, wings and color-changing eyes.
I liked Draven. He had good emotional depth, and secrets of his own. To me, he felt a little extra Rhysand coded, especially with his physical description and emphasis on the importance of choice, but I feel like that’s true for most MMCs these days. Overall he was a good character, it would be interesting to see his POV for a couple of these chapters though! 🤭

Quotes:
Holding off at this time in respect for the author! But just know: I have quite a few highlighted quotes 🤭

Romance/Spice:
The romance was okay. It was more insta-love than a true enemies-to-lovers. Some moments of tension and some sweet sentiments, but nothing that really wow’d me in the romance department. In terms of spice, two open door(ish) scenes, then fade to black. A couple of kisses. Some steamy language passed via notes. Nothing too crazy!

Overall thoughts:
A solid debut romantasy novel! I have a lot of thoughts and feelings on this one, so I’ll try to summarize them all below.

Pros:
The magic system was super cool:
- though having absolutely 0 understanding of tarot cards or Druids going into this made things pretty difficult 😅 (my own fault). The included list of ‘Major Arcana Powers’ was definitely useful and frequently referred to while I was reading.

Interesting mix of ‘Immortals’:
- Druids, seraphs, elves and mortals. A different mix of ‘immortals’ for a newer romantasy book. A nice stray from the fae/vamp/dragon/wolf-shifter stories that have been taking up the limelight.

The concept of the plot was interesting:
- a magical curse, leading to a messed up world for mortals and Immortals alike. a potential prophecy, and missing magical items. rebellions and secrets in the shadows. definitely cool concepts, and I’m excited to see where the rest of the story will go in book 2!

Cons:
The world building could have been better:
- I felt like some things were rushed. The ARC version of the book was only 385 pages (371 pages of story content) and I honestly feel like it was an injustice.

The politics could have been hashed out better:
- There’s details about a past revolution attempt, though I felt like it could have been much clearer. I know things were left relatively vague for a ~big reveal~, and that the FMC is in the dark so we, as readers, are also in the dark - but the delivery felt flat.

Some minor notes: there were some slight grammatical errors, which hopefully get addressed prior to publishing. and no map was provided in the ARC version, which made it a little more difficult to follow some of the storytelling.

Overall:
I liked it! A solid 4-star romantasy debut. Will be looking forward to picking up book 2 whenever it comes out! Would recommend!

TLDR; A debut romantasy with tarot magic, fake dating, and a dark academia setting. Coming out January 2026!

Huge thank you to NetGalley & Zando for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own ✨

This is a debut novel! Wow, I am excited to see what else this author has to offer us! I really enjoyed this read, it was well paced and the MMC was everything.

A magic system based on tarot cards? Dark academia? I'm here for it.

There were so many things that I enjoyed about this book. I really loved the writing and the characters, but the pacing occasionally felt strange. I would forget a certain aspect of the plot that was supposedly SUPER important because it hadn't been mentioned in a long time. I wanted a bit more yearning and animosity between Rune and Draven. Enemies to lovers this book is not. Maybe it's just me, but it never felt like they considered each other enemies at any point. There was a big of bad blood between them initially, but they were never like sworn enemies. Which is a vital part of ENEMIES to lovers tropes. Ignoring that though, I really enjoyed Rune and Draven.

I felt like there were a lot of side characters that weren't expanded upon enough. Someone died and I had no clue who they were. I didn't make any connections to them so I felt nothing. The characters were compelling, I just would've liked to get to know them more.

I will absolutely pick up the sequel because there is so much potential to this story.

Fantastic slow burn debut!
Loved that this felt different from others in the similar genre. Made for intriguing and interesting reading.
Overall, it was super solid, and I’m looking forward to reading more from Jaclyn!!

This was such an addictive debut. I’ve read a few fantasies lately with card based magic systems and I wasn’t sure how it would mesh with druids and immortal courts but Jaclyn Rodriguez pulled it off so well. I devoured this in two sittings and didn’t want it to end.

Rune is a grief fuelled, stubborn, sharp edged heroine who chooses to enter the Immortal realms, the same ones that destroyed her family, just for a chance at revenge. And then she ends up sharing the same tarot as Draven, the brooding Druid prince who is so much more than a shadowy love interest. Their dynamic is everything I love: forced proximity, slow burn tension, great banter and just enough softness underneath it all to make it hurt.

The magic system was a real standout. Every student at the academy is connected to a tarot card, and the way that shapes their magic and alliances was so well done. I especially enjoyed the chapter openings with tarot meanings it added depth without feeling like info dumping.

If you love slow burn, tarot magic, enemies to lovers with real tension and heroines who burn the world to save their own, this one needs to be on your radar. I cannot wait for book two.

Huge thanks to the Zando and NetGalley for the ARC!

I would love to say this debut is a triumph, but I can’t which guts me. While I overall enjoyed “A Vow in Vengeance” it was tough for me to get into. It seemed to be a very “let’s throw it all at the wall and see what sticks” book. There are a plethora of ideas and tropes that this delves into. Tarot, complex magic system (and by that I mean convoluted), dark academia, immortals vs. humans, warring factions (druids, elves, and seraphs), wyverns and drakes, enemies to lovers, an angsty prince, angry/stubborn FMC looking for vengeance, forced proximity, a thwarted human rebellion, a curse, “touch her and die”, fated mates, marriage of convenience, prophecy and ancient artifacts, royal court intrigue, betrayals, attempted assassinations, etc. All of this seems like it could be great, but it’s really a lot to cram into one book.

The basic idea of using the tarot in this book seemed flawed. They have to draw a card to do magic? Every single time? How very inconvenient. What happens if they lose their cards? Seems like a great advantage for any enemies they may have, as does the idea of being able to taint another’s deck. While the tarot aspect as it relates to powers was interesting, it was sometimes overly complex.

Once I was able to reconcile the sheer mountain of information I felt the pace was adequate. Draven and Rune’s relationship progressed somewhat believably. As characters they were utilitarian, meaning they served a purpose without a lot of flash. They both had some growth from the beginning of the book, but were not completely well-rounded. The other characters made sense in their respective roles.

Finally, the excessive use of ellipses was tedious, and mostly unnecessary. It made the dialogue stuttered and hesitant, which the scenes didn’t usually call for. Taking the majority of them out would make the overall product stronger and more polished.

A Vow in Vengeance is a sizzling debut romantasy that blends tarot magic, high-stakes academy intrigue, and enemies-to-lovers tension into an unputdownable start to a promising new series. Jaclyn Rodriguez introduces us to Rune Ryker, a fiercely selfless heroine determined to reunite her fractured family. In her search for answers, Rune willingly crosses into the Immortal realms, where she uncovers rare, tarot-based powers and forges a complicated alliance with the enigmatic Prince Draven as the threat of war intensifies.

The novel is fast-paced and utterly addictive—I often found myself staying up late to devour just one more chapter. Rodriguez masterfully weaves in beloved romantasy tropes, including dark academia, fake mates, and the ever-enticing only-one-bed scenario, while delivering a fresh twist through her original and imaginative tarot-based magic system.

Fans of Fourth Wing and ACOTAR will find much to love here—especially those who crave romance, danger, and a richly built magical world. A Vow in Vengeance sets the stage for an epic journey, and I can’t wait to see where Rodriguez takes it next.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC.

Rounded up from 4.75

Wow! I'm my own worst enemy. I like what I like. This story gave it to me.

It gave me Kindred Curse Saga vibes, but with a more likeable FMC.

I wish it had been more slow burn. However, we aren't there yet so, it's still burning.

If you enjoy, enemies to lovers, dark princes, academic settings, slow burn spice, magic systems and banter. Give this a try.

This is great debut, in my opinion and I look forward to the next book.

A sizzling new romantasy debut to grace our shelves! I really loved the concept and the types of magic, magical creatures and training elements. The tarot card magic system was probably my favourite part of this read and there were so many tiny details like the hearths that made this read so unique.

There were all the good tropes that we know and love alongside an interesting quest element. The magical creatures and beings were different to the usual vampire and fairies which was really cool to see.

The plot twist was quite predictable however, and the plot line with her mother and then the ending scenes felt very rushed into the last forty pages or so. I would have definitely enjoyed a bit more length to these chapters.

Overall, this was a very solid romantasy debut and I do think fans of fourth wing and one dark window would love this book, I will definitely be reading more of the series.

Thank you to Slowburn and Zando for the eARC in exchange for an honest review .

Action packed from the get go and so much magic in this book. I feel like so stuff was not explained very well...like I still have no idea what a druid is. I'll have to look that up but other then a few confusing things I think this is a wonderful book. I love her determination and I was a bit surprised with some of Magic in here. There was just so much if it. All kinds I tell you! Anything you could of thought of ha.

3.75 ⭐

This book has it all and then some. If you can think of a magical reference (ability, conduit, creature, transformation, education, control, awakening, resentment), this book has it. It felt like a bit too much during the world-building stage. Once past that and the story started moving again, I kind of forgot about all of that and got into the story.

This book reminds me a lot of the other coming of age fantasy/romantasy books that have been popular in the last decade, but it has its own flavor.

My prediction is that people are going to love this book up front and explode social media with it and then the nit pickers will find the imperfections (they are in there).

I liked the book. I liked the characters (main and supporting). I liked the twists. I liked the tension. I liked it.

Thank you NetGalley, Zando and Jaclyn Rodriguez for this exciting debut eARC!

Even though there are similar tropes in every fantasy book these days, this one takes a spin on it that makes it refreshing. It's not your typical training grounds enemies to lovers. The FMC has a clear goal and is brave to stand on the face of her enemies, but she doesn't know all...not even the mortal world she's from. The changes to this trope were surprising but worked so well. The way tarot cards are used... brilliant. The characters are likable, the MC relatable. The pacing is good and this overall is a really great story. I will be following up with this author in the future.

So much delicious enemies-to-lovers tension in this one. The revenge plot was juicy, and the main character was fierce and flawed in all the best ways. Some moments felt a little fast-paced, but honestly? I didn’t mind, I was too busy rooting for the chaos and the kisses. A great read if you love emotional damage and morally grey romance.

Wow!! This was good, like really good.

It follows the story of Rune, a mortal, trying to get revenge on the Immortals who took her brother, then her father and finally her mother away. To do this she must be taken too.

She strikes a deal with the Prince of the Druids, Draven, but all isn’t as it seems as she learns the immortal ways to find her family.

The world building in this story was brilliant as it was done as Rune adjusts to her new life. She is bold, courageous and funny. The only negative is she came across with an “I can’t do this” kind of attitude when she is learning, which made no sense with her background as a spy. I would have liked for her to be a bit more cunning in how she learnt her magic - maybe using those around her until they became friends.

Whilst the pace of the story was great, a lot happened in the last couple chapters. For example, Draven just getting the cup, even though finding the first artefact was difficult. This seemed a bit rushed as it was so vital to the last line of the story.

Overall, a great read and I am so looking forward to the next one!