Read Married by Treachery and pass Go. Do not stop. Do not collect (/read this). It was lacklustre, half-baked, and dull. Disappointing. It's amazing what the novella managed to achieve in a few pages that this full novel couldn't.

This book is 4.5 for me. I absolutely loved it. Some of the initial elements were ones I have read in other books, so that lack of uniqueness is the only reason it isn't a 5 star read for me. However, the story was so well done. I enjoyed the characters and I loved the romance. I loved the tension and the evolution of the characters. This was very well done and I would love to read more works by this author.

Do not let the long read time fool you (approximately 2.5 months), this is an enjoyable story (I'm a mood reader that had a lot of life happen; the long read time is not a reflection of the book itself). The FMC, Seph, is capable, but not overbearing, which I found to be refreshing. The MMC, Alder, is a kith prince (sort of like fae) and dealing with his own issues. They're thrown together and embark upon on a journey to end a devastating war.

The first half of the book is a fair bit of world-building, but once they reach Velentis is where it really picks up. At this point, I had a difficult time setting the story aside. There was plenty of action, intrigue, and swoony moments between our leads. There connection was apparent from the start, and there are some jumps in time (a few weeks) that make the grand declarations seem more reasonable. I'm not big on insta-love, and while this leaned more on the enemies-to-lover, the lines definitely blurred.

My first read from Barbara Kloss (even though her Gods of Men trilogy has been eyeing me from my TBR for way too long 👀) and honestly… I had a really great time. 🖤

Thank you to #netgalley and #whimsicalpublishing for the eARC!

This isn’t a book that revolutionizes romantasy, but it absolutely ticks all the boxes I love and does it beautifully:
➳ dark and misty atmosphere
➳ a rather strong, clever and independent heroine
➳ a broody, cursed prince with a well-hidden soft heart
➳ a dangerous quest full of secrets, curses and magic
➳ perfectly balanced slow burn romance

Josephine is exactly the kind of strong heroine we love. And Alder is the perfect tortured prince pretending he feels nothing.
For a standalone, the pacing was really well done: twists, secrets, tension… and a romance that was sweet and very enjoyable.

If you’re looking for an upper YA romantasy standalone with enemies-to-lovers tension, a haunting vibe and just the right amount of danger — this one should definitely appeal to you.

Even though the blurb sounds like it’s more of the same in a heavily saturated genre, this was a masterclass in breadcrumbing story details so you’re hooked the entire time. The setting felt a little gothic and reminded me of One Dark Window, while the banter and dialogue felt a little more Victorian-era. The dual POV worked perfectly in this, and made you connect with both characters so you had better context for their actions. This was also equal parts romance and fantasy, with a strong plot and satisfying ending. Given so many stories in this genre span multiple books, if you’re forever not starting a series until everything is out, this will be perfect for you as a one and done book. Loved every minute of it and a big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Kloss has managed to write a moving and engaging somewhat gothic fantasy. The world building was good and immersive, the characters had good character arcs for the most part. Who doesn't like a good enemies to lovers trope with sacrifice and redemption, tension and trials? Over all the book is an easy ready and readily enjoyable.

A great read! I loved rediscovering Barbara Kloss's writing in this new story, which takes the form of a dark and gripping tale.
In short, I can't wait to reread it once it's translated into French, since I saw that it should be released in my native language in a few months.

🏹THE ARROW AND THE ALDER🏹

As you all know, I'm quite picky when it comes to fantasy. It's not my "go to" genre because I usually can't find fantasy books that I love. HOWEVER, I found another goodie that you should add to your list!

The Arrow and the Alder is a YA fantasy where Robin Hood meets Joseph and his coat of many colors.

✨ALL THE THINGS✨

-Slow burn romance
-Enemies to lovers
-Great banter
-Fantastic world-building
-Forest like setting and atmosphere
-Archery
-Magical elements
-Good vs. evil, light vs. darkness
-Action-packed, full of adventure
-character redemption vibes

This is my kind of fantasy. I loved the forest-like feel and Robin Hood vibes. This type of setting is one of my favorites. Slow burn romance burned so well. I was here for this chemistry. Oh so romantic especially near the end.

This is a standalone and well done in my opinion. I'm eager to see what this author writes next! Thank you to @barbaraklossbooks and @whimsical.publishing for my #eARC !

🏹🏹🏹

*Romance- closed door
*TW- near death experiences, dark fantasy elements, kidnapping, torture

This was Barbara Kloss's version of a fae story and it didn't live up to my enjoyment of her previous series for me.

This starts similarly to ACOTAR in that there is a struggling human town near the edge of the fae (kith in the book) lands and a daughter of a poor family is hunting in the duke's forest to provide for her family. She then manages to land in the fae lands and has to navigate this other realm. From there the stories diverge, but the initial beginning feels very familiar to anyone who has read in the genre. The war within the fae lands that has spilled into the human world also feels familiar, but is handled differently in this book.

I will say that these are more traditional fae where they can't lie, but can twist the truth and you never want to make bargains with or be indebted to them which I liked. However, I didn't like how that was used in building the relationship and I think their connection and chemistry suffered for it.

Overall, I still liked the writing style and it was a quick read, but the magic that was in her Gods of Men trilogy was not present in this book. I'm not sure I would pick up a sequel.

This was great, I really enjoyed both the plot and character development, looking forward to reading more!

2.5 ✰

Yet Another Redundant Romantasy…

From the very first pages, the sense of déjà vu is overwhelming: faes, a curse, a world to save… nothing original, really. This narrative framework heavily echoes countless other novels, without ever managing to stand out. I had read the synopsis, of course, but I didn’t expect faes to be involved, especially since the author uses a different term—kith. But changing the name doesn’t change the concept. It’s still the same creatures. And honestly, I’m clearly no longer the target audience for this kind of romantasy, and this book just confirmed it once again.

That said, I won’t lie, it's a quick, easy read. The writing flows well, it has a mildly addictive quality that kept me turning the pages. But I also found myself sighing, taking breaks, and even rolling my eyes at times, because some scenes were just too cliché, even cringe. What bothers me most is that I expected better from Barbara Kloss. I had really enjoyed Gods of Men, so I definitely didn’t see this low-effort romantasy coming.

The romance, which is supposed to be central, left me completely unmoved. Some scenes that were meant to be emotional or intense just made me cringe. We're told this is an enemies to lovers, but the attraction between the two main characters is immediate, and the only “tension” comes from the overused “I have to push you away to protect you” trope. That kind of narrative device doesn’t work for me anymore—and honestly, it just gets on my nerves.

Sadly, this is one of those books where the synopsis was a thousand times better than the actual story…


─── ୨♡୧ ───
•Hate to lovers
•Curse
•The chosen one
•Fae
•Prophecy


જ⁀➴ Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Victory Editing for the eARC in exchange for a honest review <3

This was such a powerful and emotional ending to the Pandoran Chronicles. The characters have come so far, and this final book really puts them through it—but in the best way. The story was intense, beautifully written, and full of heart. I laughed, cried, and couldn’t put it down. A perfect finale to an amazing series. Highly recommend!

The Arrow & Alder takes readers into a world that's both evocative and engaging making it an easy choice for a summer tbr.

We follow Josephine, a girl growing up in a dynamic and dangerous world. The Immortal Kith aren't to be trusted, that is a fact ingrained into Josephine, so when The High Kith Lord lands on her doorstep making demands of her and her family, her only hope is to flee. In an unfortunate turn of event's Josephine stumbles straight into the cursed lands of the immortals, where she stumbles upon an elusive stranger. Together they will navigate the dark and dangerous land while trying to undo an ever growing curse.

I think this story is simply put, a good time! I enjoyed the charters immensely and found myself genuinely rooting for them. The world was fun and engaging and suited the story so well. I didn't feel like it was telling a tale that was new or particularly fresh, but I don't think it needed to achieve that to be worthy of your summer tbr.

This book was such an anticipated release for me and it did not disappoint! I loved it! The tension was perfect, the storyline was amazing, and I was sad to see it end. This was a closed door romance and I felt that it was perfect for this book.

I adored Married by Treachery and so I seeing all the nods to that in this book was so fun! The Arrow and the Alder was one of my top reads for the year.

I would absolutely recommend this book!

This was so much more than I was expecting. It’s epic fantasy with a war, secret identities, a hidden city, familial ties and a romance that blooms and grows deep roots.

I love Seph’s fire, her drive and determination to survive and care for her family, but also to care for others outside her family. She is brave, compassionate, and although reluctant to lead, is someone people want to follow.

Alder is paying for his past sins and his reputation has suffered for them, but Seph is a light for him and causes him to be a better person. He is a strong leader in his own right.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. If you love fae type books, you'll love this. This was really good! The story line was interesting and it had some solid twists and turns. It's one of the more better fae books I read recently.

I have read many books Kloss has written and think she is very talented. The Arrow and the Alder was a great read. I enjoyed the world-building and the characters. The dynamic between Seph and her family was interesting. I think the villains in the story could've been developed more and the plot had some predictable moments (but also a twist I didn't see coming!). The only (very small) letdown for me was the romance. It has some swoon worthy moments and the banter between the characters were great. On a chili pepper scale, this is a green bell pepper for on page descriptive moments. It will be the personal preference of the reader to decide if they will enjoy that. I really liked this book, definitely recommend it, and will continue to read anything Barbara Kloss writes!

This book will keep you reading. I enjoyed reading it and could hardly put it down.
This is a clean read and the editing is good. I received an ARC from the publisher via Net Galley. I was not required to write a review but chose to do so and the opinions stated are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, Whimsical Publishing, and Barbara Kloss for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had to purchase a copy of this book due to file format issues.

Overall this was a really good book, and I enjoyed it. The pacing was spot on, and all the characters were likeable and memorable. I really enjoyed the slow burn romance, and the tension had me on the edge of me seat.

The magic was fascinating, and I would love to see stuff like this in more books!

I liked The Arrow and the Alder, especially the main characters. Josephine was tough and stubborn in a good way and I enjoyed how she didn’t trust people too easily—especially the powerful ones. Alder, the prince, was interesting too. He had a lot of secrets, but he clearly cared about doing the right thing. Their relationship, going from enemies to something more, was fun to watch grow!
The world in the book had a really cool feel to it, full of dark forests, curses and magic that felt really cool and mysterious. I liked the vibe of it all, even though some parts of the story moved a little slow for me. I didn’t always feel fully pulled in, but the atmosphere and the character moments kept me reading.
Overall, it was a solid fantasy story with characters I cared about and a setting I enjoyed spending time in!!