Unique fantasy world with a unique story!

Rune and Draven push each other and their growing dynamic keeps you turning the page!

Can’t wait to read more of this universe!

From the moment I started A Vow of Vengeance, I couldn’t put it down. I devoured this book in no time and loved every second of it!

The characters are such fun to follow with their banter that had me smiling throughout, and the chemistry between them was impossible to ignore. Add in the classic enemies-to-lovers tension and some perfectly executed forced proximity, and you’ve got a romance that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

The magic felt wonderfully fresh and unique. With druids, seraphs, elves and tarot cards woven into the story, it created a rich and imaginative world that felt both exciting and new.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for the ARC. This book was such an addictive read and I can’t wait to see what comes next in the series. Highly recommend if you’re a fan of fantasy romance with sharp wit, great tension, and plenty of heart.

A strong start!

I loved the creative magic binding ritual that took place behind the Wall (an absolutely brilliant start to the story) and how emotions were tied to tarot magic. The enjoyable academy setting brought a natural way to tell the reader about the world, its history and magic, and to create friendships.The slow-burn romance was executed to my taste.

For some reason, the story only really sucked me in after 50% when the action started to intensify, which is why my star rating remains 4.

I highly recommend the book and look forward to the sequel with interest. Thanks to the publisher Zando -Slowburn and NetGalley for the early review copy!

This book has bite. The world feels dangerous from the first page, and Rune’s voice kept me locked in. She’s messy, stubborn, and easy to root for because she never stops fighting, even when the odds are stacked against her.

The Forge setting was brutal and eerie, with its tarot-based magic and academy rules. I would’ve liked a bit more detail on how the magic worked, but the mystery also kept the tension high.

Draven was the standout for me. Complicated, ruthless, and hard to trust — which made every scene with him sharp and unpredictable. The push and pull between him and Rune gave the story so much raw energy.

Some pacing issues slowed things in the middle, but the emotional core carried it through. A strong debut, and I’m definitely interested in seeing where the series goes.

This book reminded me a lot of Arcana Academy in terms of the magic system but that might just be the tarot cards. I did like Rune and Draven as individual characters but when things started turning romantic....I wasn't a fan.

from the very first chapter, a vow in vengeance had me completely invested. the pacing is sharp without feeling rushed, and i loved how the stakes kept building with every turn of the story. the characters felt layered, not just existing for the plot, and i got really attached to the dynamics between them (the found family familied fr!) the writing had that balance of dark, tense moments with softer, more vulnerable beats, which made the story hit even harder.

the magic system stood out the most for me. it’s niche but still fresh, detailed enough to feel believable while leaving space for mystery. it didn’t feel recycled from other fantasy books i’ve read, which made the worldbuilding all the more exciting. overall, this was such an addictive read, and it definitely deserves the five stars i gave it. i’m already looking forward to what jaclyn rodriguez writes next I NEED IT ASAP

make sure to add a vow in vengeance to your tbrs and keep an eye out for its release in january 13 2026! for a debut, you won’t want to miss it istg!

thank you netgalley and zando projects for granting me this arc in exchange for an honest review <3

Rune is a compelling heroine and the magic system in this world is fascinating. As the first in a duology, the pacing moves along fairly quickly, and I appreciate the balance of world building and plot the author achieves here. Fans of Romantasy will definitely want to pick this one up.

If I were the type of person to buy books solely based on the cover then this would be an instant ‘add to cart’. The premise of this book was so interesting and it instantly became an anticipated read for 2026 and I was fortunate enough to receive an early copy for review (thank you Zando & NetGalley!)

The magic system for me personally was the biggest draw to this book. I’ve only ever read one other book/series that was based on tarot-centric magic so for me personally it felt quite different and I enjoyed reading about it.

The biggest disappointment for me is the chasm of disconnect I felt from everything that was going on. Plot wise, I feel like all the elements were there but it was a little too messy for me. Everything felt extremely convenient and with the way the pace of the book was it felt like reading the plot of two books combined into one. It felt like multiple plot points wanted to be included but was done haphazardly to the point where the information being revealed just felt random.

I knew going in that this book would be enemies to lovers but I do usually take that with a grain of salt. My definition of enemies to lovers is very different than what I got from this book which more than often is usually the case so i’m not really surprised and maybe it will work for other people! I wasn’t really interested in the romance because of the near-instant attraction that happened and from that point I personally just didn’t care.

Honestly, this book didn’t work for me as a whole but I genuinely do think it’ll work for other people so if you do get the chance to pick this up then you definitely should!

A Vow in Vengeance

DNF

Once again, I think the blurb was a bit misleading. The book was not what I expected, and the writing style didn’t really work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

𝐀 𝐕𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐍 𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐲𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐳
~ 𝑰𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒏𝒆
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝗦𝗲𝘅𝘆, 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰, 𝗔 𝗩𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁.

I've been obsessed with this book the second I heard about the tarot based magic system and I loved it so much! This very much brought me back to me tarot based magic era and I'm so read for this book to come out!

From the very first page, I knew this would be an instant hit for me. I was intrigued and hooked from the very first chapter that had in surprise and wanting to read more.

Rune Ryker, the FMC, is deeply human despite being a changeling. She's fiercely strong, stubborn — who isn't just here to be all that but to survive, to find her family and to exist. Her character felt extremely raw and unique, her honesty resonated with me and it made her such a realistic character because of the way that her grief, grit and anger were portrayed.

Prince Draven, the MMC, is an extremely broody, infuriatingly handsome and obnoxiously powerful hero with so many secrets beneath the shadows. He's such an intriguing character because from the very first page, I could sense that there so much more to his story that what everyone was talking about. Reading about his past and the revelations that came with him had my jaw dropped on the floor.

Rune and Draven's romantic dynamic was something I really enjoyed. They didn't just fall heads over heels to each other but there was push and pull dynamic between them, which fuelled by so much banter, anger and tension. The forced proximity trope worked so well on them and definitely was a push to their romance and trust. Deep down, they're just two people who have been wronged a lot and broken because of it and they're perfect for each other because they care for one another in a way that no one ever has.

The world-building is very unique. I was extremely intrigued about the war and realms. There's so many secrets and revelations that unfold throughout the sequence of the narrative that struck me well. The backdrop of this novel is set in a dark magical academy called the Forge, where Druids, an immortal race learn to draw power from Taro cards. I fall in awe to any dake academia setting and this one has me on my heels — completely enthralled by the magic of this world, the uniforms, rituals, magic system that had consequences. The tarot based magic system was indeed my favourite part of the book and I can see so much potential for the next book with this system.

I was definitely amazed by the plot twists that came towards us. I didn't not expect some of them and they had my jaw on the floor. The last fifty pages had me on the edge of my seat tand I was definitely reading non-stop at that point. Some of the revelations started me and I genuinely was scared of the outcome of the others.

A Vow in Vengeance delivers everything exactly as promised — morally grey characters, dark academia, unique tarot based magic system, reluctant allies to lovers and plot twists that will have your minds blown.

I cannot wait for the next installment! This book is definitely one of my highlights of this year!

This uses the tarot element perfectly to tell the story and enjoyed how good it was used the enemy to lover romance that worked overall. The characters were so well written and I enjoyed the overall feel of theme in their world. It was everything that I was wanting and enjoyed the dark academia element in this. Jaclyn Rodriguez has a strong writing style and enjoyed the overall feel of this.

The story is very immersive! I felt like I was watching a movie. The premise is unique, it's not your typical selection story. I was gripped from the first page.

Holy moly it's so good! I was in a bit of a reading slump, and A Vow in Vengeance was invigorating!

Like Rune, the tarot confuses me. So many cards with so many meanings. I quite rather enjoyed the cards being heavily used in the book. The druid magic system is completely built around it.

And wait, what? It's her debut as an author? No way. I don't believe it. This book is stellar. No way is it a debut. Absolutely fantastic job!

My only regret is that I can't read it again for the first time. It's one I'll gladly read again and again. I highly recommend this! Must read.

Thank you NetGalley, Zando Projects, and the author for an early copy.

This book was so fun and had such a unique magic system, but didn’t weigh you down too much up front with world building like can sometimes happen when that’s the case! I knew off the bat that I’d be down bad for Draven by the end and…I totally am. The twists and the betrayals and the foreshadowing kept me hooked the entire book. I can’t wait to read the second book!!

I'm about to tell y'all a story and it's gonna be long and I'm not sorry.

The royal decree at the beginning had my hackles raised.

"Henceforth on this day, the first of Ninth Month, mortals will undergo the Selection each year, a reaping of one hundred souls as penance for their cursed uprising. Each of the nine remaining mortal territories will submit to the Selection process at random, and without defiance, or summon our fury."

I immediately thought "hunger games ripoff" and you cannot tell me that's not giving Treaty of Treason. HENCEFORTH each territory must submit to a REAPING as PENANCE for their UPRISING??????? Y'all I even quoted it to my mom and she said "that's not the hunger games is it?" Anyway, this had my attention (in a bad way). Plus side it could only go up from there cause it started all the way at the bottom here. I almost DNF'D it right there, but alas the ARC reader in me persisted.

So, the good part? After the selection process it stopped giving the hunger games. The bad part? I saw similarities to other more current popular romantasies (really took the fourth wing format with the pre-chapter snippets, information, correspondence, diary writings, etc). I know not every book will be 100% unique, but I wish we got more world-building in this book to more thoroughly differentiate it from others in the genre.

The magic system being tarot is super cool and unique, HOWEVER, I feel like we never really dove into the system, as even at the end I still had to reference the cheat sheet to figure out what card did what. So basically I wish we had more classroom time to learn the magic WITH the FMC (who was also learning it), it just felt rushed. I was just missing the depth to the world. That being said, if you like fourth wing you'll probably love this book.

Another thing. It's shown as enemies-to-lovers but 4 chapters in, and just like Violet Rune can't stop thinking about how attractive Draven (Xaden) is, and she has to mentally remind herself "he's the enemy". I'm tired of books being marketed enemies to lovers when there is instant attraction. It's okay for a book to NOT be enemies to lovers, but don't tell me it is and then the characters are in lust with each other by chapter 4 and using the "love" nickname by chapter 10. HOWEVER the banter was BANTERING they have amazing chemistry.

I did enjoy the plot progression. I felt the book had a good pacing in that regard, no notes.

And AFTER ALL THAT, I have to say it's actually a really good debut novel for this author, and I'm patiently waiting for the next!

***Thank you Jaclyn Rodriguez and Zando Projects for this ARC in exchange for my honest review***

I tried really hard to continue reading this book but ultimately put it down after chapter 9. After the first few chapters I was interested, but then I felt like I kept waiting for something to happen. It felt like chapter upon chapter with nothing really happening. I also found the main character to be boring. Additionally, it felt like this book was trying to be too much like other popular romantasty books - even with the same last name as the Fourth Wing MMC. A little more originality here could have been used

An enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance with a rich dark academia atmosphere — this one had me hooked from the first sharp exchange between the leads. The academic setting added layers of tension to the romance, with whispered secrets and dangerous alliances brewing in the background. The pacing kept me engaged, and I liked how the story balanced romance with intrigue and worldbuilding. By the end, I felt fully invested in both the relationship and the larger plot, and I’m already curious to see where the series might go.

I just devoured this book and it's EVERYTHING!

Rune Ryker is my new favorite heroine – she literally orchestrates her way into a deadly Immortal college for revenge after they stole her family. Talk about a queen!

And Prince Draven? Ugh, he's the arrogant, ambitious, gorgeous Immortal she's forced to live with because their magic is so rare. The enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes are just perfection. Their snark and banter, plus the touch her and die vibes? I was screaming!

The tarot magic, the wicked schemes, the secrets, the brewing war – this book is action-packed, super sexy, and just brimming with magic. If you love dark academia, fake fated mates, and a romantasy that will leave you breathless, you NEED to read this. Seriously!

I don’t even know where to start - I just finished A Vow in Vengeance and am beyond impressed with this debut. I was less than a quarter of the way through when pre-ordered my hardcopy.

Without giving away any spoilers - if you’re a fantasy fan and enjoy Magic, danger, betrayal and some romance, this is a book you need to read. The Magic is unique, the characters deep and the plot will leave you screaming and crying. Seriously, I felt all the feelings hard.

I absolutely loved the dynamic between Rune and Draven from the start. I can not wait to see what book two brings for them, on all fronts. I have a few other favorite characters, but am hesitant to trust anyone completely.

I really enjoyed this! My only critique is Rune wasnt a badass for someone who was called "wraith of westfall." I wish there was some sort of she's almost as good as thr immortals or atleast better than all the changlings but she kept getting felled and the only better thing she did was find more spy holes...However, once I finished and learned this was a debut, I was impressed. Theres was some language disconnect in my opinion, from modern to flowery vocabulary but that could just be a choice.

4.25 ⭐️A Vow in Vengeance is such a strong debut. I was hooked from the very first chapter. The world Jaclyn Rodriguez has created is fresh, dark, and immersive, with a unique magic system that blends power, vengeance, and prophecy in really intriguing ways. I did find the magic a little hard to fully grasp at times, but that felt partially intentional since Rune is also still figuring it out.

Rune is a fierce FMC with sharp edges and a guarded heart, and I loved watching her slowly begin to let people in. Her growth felt raw and genuine. I truly felt for her found family, and I’m glad she finally let herself have that. And Draven? I’m obsessed. Their slow-burn romance was deliciously tense and absolutely worth the wait. The chemistry, the longing—it all landed so well.

The story has a great balance of emotion, steady action, and high stakes. A Vow in Vengeance comes out in January 2026, and I already can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy! I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.