Sorry but this is not my cup of tea 🫡 I gave it a solid effort, but the writing style and the overall direction the story was going in did not interest me.

I think if you like your sci-fantasy to be more quirky and fun then this could be for you! The plot moved along quickly, and the character voices were strong.

I just could not stand the constant mentions of the MC’s rainbow hair, or the jumping back and forth in tone (from sci-fi to fantasy to eating pancakes and caramel lattes at a coffee shop?).

Voidwalker has been my best read of 2025 so far so I can't help but endorse it. Many times when I pick a fantasy with a romance plot, the author is either great at establishing romance, but weak at worldbuilding and external plot, or the author is brilliant at the general fantasy aspects but the romance is sadly limping along. It rarely happens both aspects are equally strong pillars, but this is one example where it does.

I loved how Fiona and Antal both tried to pretend they're scary badasses and loathed to admit they need help, they had trust issues due to past traumas, they tackled with survivor's guilt, but they also together learned confidence, opening to rely on others when necessary, and bonded extremely well.

I enjoyed a departure from common pseudo-medieval or pseudo-Victorian settings I usually see in fantasy. We have different planes suspended in the void connected with bridges and gateways, and everything runs fueled by magical energy capsules - from energy blades and crossbows to trains and central heating systems.

The story is well paced, with action-packed scenes intertwined with calmer found family moments and slow-burn romance and tense interpersonal conflicts. It's a great mix of dark and hopeful, not falling into either extreme.

The plot nicely wraps up, even though I am curious which direction will the sequel take us, since there are hints of bigger scope Daeyari politics going on in the background.

The romance was a breath of fresh air, Fiona wasn't your typical naive damsel or stubborn-without-a-cause step-into-every-trouble kind of protagonist. Antal was respectful and showed a surprisingly vulnerable side in interactions with Fiona. He didn't smother her with overprotectiveness, but enabled her growth and encouraged her strength.

Their interactions were extremely hilarious with top-notch banter.

Definitely recommend for anyone looking for fantasy with a strong romance plot or romantasy with a strong external conflict, and anyone who wants to see both leads exude black cat energy.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for the ARC, you're the best and I can always count on you. 💗

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

There was a woman with rainbow hair on the cover so I had to pick this up. 

The world building in this book was great, I really enjoyed learning about this world. The atmosphere was also very well established. I'd definitely recommend reading this in the winter.

The characters were very fun and I loved the chapter titles. 

Unfortunately I don't think monster romance is for me. If it's something you like, I think you would greatly enjoy this.

I picked this one up for the description of the daeyari alone and was not disappointed!

✔ Fi, our FMC is a really cool character. She’s funny, witty in a sharp way, but hiding a lot of vulnerability behind the spunky exterior. She’s also very imperfect - she makes mistakes and has to come to terms with her choices and try to consciously do better; her portrayal was a breath of fresh air. She’s also in her 30s and an experienced smuggler which was very fun.
✔ As expected, Antal was my favorite. He is the epitome of “cat-as-boyfriend”, but also had emotional baggage and growth that he worked through with Fi, which really fleshed out their relationship beyond a typical “monster romance”. In general, a lot of the characters and their relationships felt very real, with time spent fleshing characters out and developing their relationships with each other.
✔ Though this felt like a more character-driven/character growth oriented plotline, there was still the political/training/etc plotline that kept the story moving along and gave a sense of time passing while the relationship developed. Doing this made the romance feel very natural while also wrapping up the conflicts in a way that felt earned.
✔ The setting, steampunk in an eternal winter, was a bit unexpected, but really cool!

✖ However, I do think the worldbuilding in general could have had more to it. In some ways, the technology and the magic/daeyari/other planes were somewhat glossed over and I would have loved to see the world further developed.

4/5 stars!

This was a really fun read and I’m looking forward to book 2!
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books | Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I enjoyed the main character Fi I didn’t like the romance aspect and the world building wasn’t fleshed out enough for my taste.

Voidwalker is an adult romantic fantasy taking place in a magic-punk world where different lands are suspended in the void and the protagonist, Fi, can travel between different dimensions, while she originates from a wintry taiga world with polar night and northern lights.

Fi is an accomplished smuggler hired for a heist of a lifetime. She finds the deal suspicious, but when her ex-partner shows involvement, she commits to the deal out of guilt she abandoned her in the past and lingering romantic feelings. The deal ends up being worse than Fi's worries, with her ending up nearly devoured by an immortal shadow monster ruling the human lands. To make matters worse, both Fi and the shadow monster, Antal, are targeted by Antal's rival who wants to take over his portion of the land. Antal has nobody else to turn to for help except Fi, and Fi agrees out of guilt she enabled the whole scheme to overturn him. Yes, guilt and regret are very big themes across this story.

What follows is two underdogs out of options trying to play tough but having to swallow lots of bitter pills if they want to gather allies and succeed in getting rid of the invading villain. Both of the leads were compulsively likeable and foils to one another. The developing romance underlined how much connects Fi and Antal despite being members of different species and having complicated backstory. It was a delicious slow burn with well-placed spicy scenes enhancing the romance.

The plot was epic, action-packed and showed the importance of making allies, making peace with the past, and choosing to move forward rather than being stuck in grief and regret. We can't change our past decisions but we can ensure our future ones are better.

The climax of the story felt well earned, satisfying and concluding the important plot lines. It's advertised as a beginning of a series, but can be read as a stand alone.

Voidwalker offers a blend of epic worldbuilding, fresh magic system, action-packed plot and slow burn spicy romance. It's the best of what the genre has to offer for fans of romantic fantasy with substance and strong external plotline. It's also casually queer, and Fi is 32 so not your typical young damsel stepping for the first time into an adult world. She's accomplished, strong and with emotional baggage. The novel gives a fresh and unique take on the sub-genre full of cookie cutter stories.

I hope Voidwalker blows up and goes viral, because this book deserves it.

I received an ARC from Netgalley & Orbit Books for the purpose of leaving a honest review.