Can I just start by saying the prologue is an absolute masterpiece of poetic prose and I am obsessed. From the very first lines, I was drawn in by its lyrical beauty and the haunting tone that set the stage for everything to come.

Death and Divination delivers many of the elements I love in a romantasy: political intrigue, gothic vibes, high-stakes action, and a slow-burn romance. For a debut, it’s impressively ambitious and fast-paced, with a world that feels rich and layered.

One standout for me was the FMC, who is refreshingly older than the typical 19-year-old heroine. That added depth and maturity to her perspective, which I really appreciated.

While I didn’t personally connect with the characters or the romance on an emotional level, I can absolutely see how this story will resonate with many readers. The themes and dynamics have strong appeal, and the author’s voice shows real promise.

Thank you so much for the e-arc.

I recieved this book as advanced reader copy and I cant thank NetGalley and Jadis enough!
We follow our FMC, Asteria—the only Seer in, like, forever. She’s friends with the priestesses who are sent out into the world to help people. But folks find it very hard to look Asteria in the eyes. They get this weird sensation washing over them and have to look away. Because of that, Asteria doesn’t really have many relationships—except with her close friends, of course.

Asteria likes to induce her visions by mixing up some hallucinogens—my girl is stuck on these. But honestly, I get it. Anything’s better than the reality she’s living in. During these visions, she always sees this man with tattoos on his hands—and every time she “meets” him, he’s off killing people. I know. CRAZY.

Then, on the night the “Marked Ones” are supposed to be sacrificed, Asteria finds out she has a mark. But it’s not from any of the four realms. Enter mysterious tattoo-hand guy who actually looks her in the eyes!!! He comes to claim her for his realm, and when she gets there, she decides she’s going to learn everything she can about her mark and what it means.

Okay, this book totally fooled me at first. It starts off soft and calm—building the world Asteria lives in, showing her friendships and how the priestesses fit into society—and then bam, everything goes sideways and it’s a full-on shit show (for them, not us lol).

The pacing is super quick, with a lot packed into a short time. That kept things exciting, but some scenes—like the tavern visit—felt a bit surface-level. I wanted more: more conversation, more depth, more time to feel what the characters were feeling.

I’d consider Asteria a soft FMC. She doesn’t like to make waves, and her little acts of defiance are subtle and private. Her friends definitely don’t see her as someone who breaks the rules. But as the story goes on, she starts showing these flashes of fire, and I’m hoping that’s part of her arc—like she’s finally starting to come into her own after being so controlled.

Now, the emotional tension between her and Nox? So good. I just wish we got more page time with them together. The chemistry is there—I just wanted more of it!

The ending? Loved it. Asteria finally starts standing up for herself, and I’m so ready to see her go full badass in the next book.

Death and Divination by Jadis Moon is the first book in a series by a debut author. The main character Asteria, doesn’t seem to have much power until she visits the immortal realm after discovering that she is marked. There she finds old enemies and new, along with some strong allies in Nox, the God of Death and his friend (and God) Drystan.

Even though I read quite a bit of urban fantasy and romantasy, this felt like a fresh take. I enjoyed the world building, the slow burn, and the set up for epic confrontations. Asteria is very relatable, she doesn’t feel like she is good enough but she studies and works hard and is able to do more than she knows. There are some good twists, and a major cliffhanger at the end.

I will point out that the story starts a bit slowly and is fairly confusing, especially with the myths and magic system that could have been clearer. But once it picked up, I was completely hooked and couldn’t put it down.

I’m definitely looking forward to the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the eARC.

First of all a huge thanks to NetGalley, Jadis Moon and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the e-arc!
I really enjoyed this book! If you’re looking for a slow burn romance this book is for you. The characters were very interesting and kept me intrigued in the story! The ending was not really my cup of tea but I am curious about book 2 so I will be reading that when it comes out!

This book had me so hooked. Took me out of a reading slump and immediately threw me back into one because what was that ENDING!

I had so much fun immersing myself into this world, it was an exciting start for a new romantasy series! The world building and magic system was uniquely interesting and really eased you in instead of info dumping. EspECIALLY loved the FMC and MMC. The slowest slow burn to ever slow burn, I need book two stat to (hopefully) relieve the tension between Asteria and Nox. That cliffhanger was criminal. Really looking forward to seeing what the rest of this series brings!

If you’ve ever loved a haunted heroine, a dark god with secrets, and a fate you’d fight tooth and nail to rewrite this is the book. I finished Death and Divination and immediately had to sit there blinking like “what just happened to me??”

Asteria is 400 years old, marked by visions of death and chaos, and somehow still clinging to her sanity?? I was hooked from the first line. No arcane powers, no neat answers just a girl navigating ancient gods, prophetic madness, and one very tattooed man tied to the God of Death. Nox is… let’s just say I am spiritually, emotionally, and maybe contractually bound to him now.

There’s mystery, magic, danger, fate, betrayal, and those delicious moments of “do I trust you or do I run?” (my favorite flavor of tension). I kept flipping pages like I was possessed. And the way it unravels? Like pulling threads from a vision you’re not sure you want to see but you have to know.

If you want:
🌑 Death gods with teeth and tenderness
🕯️ Haunting prophecy + fate you can’t outrun
💀 Mystery, magic, and immortal secrets
🖋️ Writing that cuts and comforts in equal measure
❤️‍🔥 A romance that makes you feral then hits you in the chest

Then Death and Divination is gonna ruin you. And you’ll love every second.

#DeathAndDivination #DarkFantasyReads #SeerMagic #GodOfDeath #FantasyRomance #BookBoyfriendAlert #BookstagramMagic #ProphecyAndPower #MysticalReads #DarkMagicAndSoftHearts #FantasyWithBite

A hauntingly original debut with dark magic, divine bargains, and a heroine marked by fate.

Jadis Moon casts a powerful spell in Death and Divination — the first in what promises to be a dark and immersive romantasy series rooted in myth, sacrifice, and identity. From the first pages, the world feels rich with possibility: Prophets and Seers, immortal gods with their own realms, and a heroine haunted by visions she doesn't yet understand.

At the heart of the story is Asteria — a 400-year-old woman with no arcane abilities, a legacy she can’t escape, and a destiny that refuses to remain buried. As she's swept into the dangerous machinations of the Immortal Realms, we follow her journey with a sense of rising unease and fascination. What happens when you're chosen by the god of death himself — and don’t know why?

The strongest elements here are the mythology and tone. There’s a constant undercurrent of mystery and dread that makes the narrative feel genuinely high-stakes. The concept of Seers — individuals cursed with visions of darkness — adds a compelling twist to the traditional chosen-one arc. And the slow, creeping unraveling of truth and identity makes for a strong emotional core.

There were moments, particularly early on, where I wished for more clarity in the worldbuilding and pacing. Some plot elements felt murky, and I found myself wanting deeper development between certain characters to fully invest. But the potential is undeniable — and the final third of the book delivers enough momentum and intrigue to leave me eager for the sequel.

Death and Divination is a strong entry into the romantasy genre, with a distinctive voice and world that will appeal to readers who love moody magic, mysterious gods, and heroines shaped by shadow. A promising start — and one I’ll be following.

3.5 stars rounded up.

An FMC that is over 400 years old? Love it! The characters were really interesting, including the FMC who was sort of shunned and withdrawn- different from a lot of books I read. The story included a mystery, a few twists, and a slow-burn situation that makes me want to read the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5 STARS!

I am going to have a book hangover from this one for weeks.
that ending just had me SPIRALING!
It was such an easy read with such am easy to understand magic system !
it gives me a bit of a Hades & Persephone / ACOTAR vibes and i could NOT put it down!

I loved learning this new world with Asteria. though I wish she was able to learn a bit more of her past before the end!

Our Nox is everything you want in a shadow daddy! I love the banter and the tension between the two and the protectiveness he has towards her.

Drystan is the perfect comedic relief as well and I loved watching Asteria and his friendship(?) if you can call it that grow throughout the book!

I absolutely cannot wait for the 2nd book, that cliffhanger was RIDICULOUS.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the ARC!

Death & Divination is a romantasy with immersive world building and a unique, eerie magic system.

The romance is an excruciating slow burn, which I loved but also made me want to grab the mc’s and tell them to just get on with it lmao. (A sign of a great slow burn imo). I kind of guessed a lot of the twists, as a lot of the tropes are common in romantasy, but they were still really entertaining to read. However, the story does drag out some of the major reveals, and the repetitive training scenes got a bit boring.

One thing I really liked was that the fmc is centuries old, not at all naive, and not conventionally attractive, which is a refreshing change for the genre. However, in the final chapters it felt like she was being uncharacteristically stupid just to end the story on a cliffhanger, which is a plot device I personally hate.

All in all, I really enjoyed this on. I think this is the start of a great romantasy series and I already cannot wait for book two!

In Death and Divination we follow Asteria, a spooky seer who only sees visions of death, and can drive people to hysteria with just her eye contact. She is somewhat of an outcast just trying to live her life when she suddenly finds herself in the middle of all the drama, which turns into quite the predicament.

While I was initially reading this book I wasn’t paying much attention and I thought there were plot holes. Let me just tell you I RAN back to the beginning to reread it once I finished and found out the twist… all these moments of foreshadowing were right under my nose. The author is very cleverly hiding things in plain sight that don’t really make sense, but whew, when it hits it HITS! Darn you Jadis Moon for that cliffhanger, I am frothing at the mouth for the rest of this series and I can’t wait to read Death and Divination a third time once it’s all out so I can get the entire story.

This book is for you if you like romantasy books with these attributes:
- intricate world building (I felt like I needed a glossary to keep up with this world!)
- extremely slow burn full of yearning all the way (they don’t even get together in book 1 sheeesh)
- main characters who are not teenagers (step aside 19 year old FMCs, Asteria is rocking at 500 years old!!)
- dare I say shadow daddy AND shadow mommy?
- BETRAYAL

I’m feeling too many emotions. Thank you, NetGalley, for this arc!

This may be the slowest burn I’ve ever experienced, but also need to note that it’s still going! Should we start normalizing subtle romantic escalations when it comes to series?? I’m so conflicted with this ending. I wanted nothing more than Asteria and Nox (aka Waelyn) to give into the tension and then BOOM! It is ripped away from us.

Shout out to one of my favorite supporting characters, Drystan. The sass and comedic timing provides a lightness to the novel as you experience the various events Asteria lives through.

As I mentioned previously, I have mixed feelings about the ending. Though, part of it may be attributed to me completely hoping this was going to be a standalone, and lo and behold we have book 1 of a series. Now I’m forced to wait until when to know what happens to everyone??

May be in a hangover after this one.

4.5 ⭐

You know things are going downhill when a mysterious symbol pops up on your skin and the next thing you know, you are being carted off to the land of the gods like it is some celestial school exchange programme. That is exactly what happens to Asteria, whose life has already been hard enough thanks to her very inconvenient magical gift. While others get to see hope and futures full of sunshine, Asteria sees doom. Actual doom. People take one look at her and suddenly remember they forgot to lock their front doors or that the apocalypse is probably on its way.

The real plot twist? Instead of being sacrificed and calling it a day, Asteria ends up under the protection of Nox, the literal God of Death and Destruction, who turns out to be less “I will devour your soul” and more “here is a cup of tea and some dinner, love.” Honestly, I was not prepared for Death in an apron, but here we are.

This is very much a slow-burn romance, which is code for “no kissing yet but you will absolutely suffer every prolonged eye contact like it means something.” The emotional connection grows at a lovely pace though, and while the romantic tension is edging us to insanity, there is a lot of promise if the next book digs deeper into the heart of their relationship rather than just ticking off the checklist.

First Person Single POV 4.75/5 stars
This had me HOOKED from the start.
In a world where visions of death and destruction are considered a bit taboo, seer FMC Asteria is ostracised by her peers. She's a brilliant character with mystery surrounding her and a past that leaves even herself questioning until our Shadow Daddy MMC arrives on scene. Her land has an interesting history and fascinating magic system with fantastic world building that never left me bored.
This is a slow-burn romance that ends on a cliff hanger so fair warning. I will be eagerly anticipating book 2.
Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for providing this free eArc. All opinions are my own.

This book is perfect for fans of morally gray FMC&MMC, slow burns, dragons, psychedelic magic, betrayals, and revenge!

This book was exactly what I needed to get me out of my month long book slump! The SLOW BURN, the TENSION, the absolutely beautiful yet dark setting! I could not put this book down. I really loved the main characters of this book and I fear I have become too attached to them. This book has tropes that we all know and love and it was executed so well, it felt so refreshing. I'm so excited for this series and to see where the story goes from here!

Counting down the days until pub (July 29) and I will be excitedly awaiting the second book!

This was a beautiful start to a new fantasy series!! We follow our FMC as she is learning her role in a new world, while also learning about who she is after she has never really known where she belongs.

Asterin has always believed she had a “curse” as her gift of sight, only being able to see misfortunes unlike the other seers that are revered and adored, she is looked at as a harbringer of doom within her own kingdom. Nobody can even look her in the eye without feeling something ominous or wrong.

Everything changes when she is marked to die and ascend into the realm of the gods. Which, apparently isn’t all sunshine and rainbows after all. Her guide and protector is the god of death himself, Nox. The burn is slooooooow as their relationship unfolds and she learns more about herself.


It was a delightful read and I cannot wait to read book 2!

This was a beautifully built fantasy world with rich lore and a divine hierarchy that felt natural and easy to follow. Asteria’s journey from outcast to godling is compelling, and the slow-burn connection with Nox—the God of Death who surprisingly makes tea and dinner—adds a gentle, emotional layer to the story.

There’s no spice in this installment, but the tension and care between them make every moment count. I’m hooked and can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

Oh i devoured this book. I had been in a reading slump for the last month or so and this wrapped its shadowy tendrils around me and pulled me right out of it! This gave me everything I love in a fantasy. The slowburn in this is the slowest and i am so here for it! the tension between the two main characters? i could FEEL it coming through the pages. I need book 2 instantly.

For someone who reads a lot of fantasy books, l tend to start to piece together similarities from book to book, making them all feel parallel. I can confidently say that this book had a completely unique story, and is not comparable to anything else I've read. From the first chapter, I was in love with the fact that the main character was described as
"unsettling to look at" with a powerful personality.
This story follows Asteria, a Seer and a Prophet from a mortal realm, on a magical, ethereal, and dark journey of self discovery. She finds herself traveling across multiple realms while working with Gods and other beings on the way. The romance here is an excruciatingly slow burn, and seems like it will continue into future books. The world building is easy to follow and is straight forward, and the story itself doesn't have a dull moment. Where it lacked descriptions for certain scenes, it made up for in action and progression of the plot. I am already looking forward to the next book, since this one left off with the most brutal cliffhanger!







Check out this review on Fable
https://fable.co/review/8ff7d6af-f86d-49b6-8bec-96c11083b418/share

ARC Review – 4⭐️

Summary:
Asteria has always been different. While her half-sister can tap into arcane magick and her friends have the power to glimpse the future, Asteria sees only death. When a strange symbol appears on her skin, she learns she’s been Marked for sacrifice to the gods. Enter Nox, the God of Death and Destruction, who whisks her away to the realm of immortals. There, Asteria uncovers a shocking truth: she is a godling. As she grows into her power, she must choose—stay in the shadows with Nox or enter the world of the other gods to learn more about who she is.

Review:
This book does fantastic worldbuilding—rich, immersive, and explained naturally without info-dumping. The author manages to build a whole divine structure that feels grounded and easy to follow, which is no small feat in fantasy romance.

The real surprise, though? Nox is a god who can cook. Some of the best scenes are him making Asteria tea, dinner, or quietly caring for her in the kitchen. It’s a soft, nurturing dynamic that plays beautifully against his ominous title.

This is very much a slow-burn romance—there are no intimate scenes in this installment, but the emotional connection builds with purpose. You feel the weight of every glance, every moment of growing trust. It’s refreshingly patient.

My only wish? That I already had the next book. I’d absolutely keep reading to see more of Asteria and Nox—especially now that the stakes have been raised and the choice she faces is more complicated than ever.

Bottom line: A lush, slow-burn fantasy romance with strong worldbuilding, a compelling emotional core, and a soft Death god who cooks dinner. No spice here yet—but plenty of tension and heart. Looking forward to more.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.