Thank you D.L Taylor & Netgalley!

"Marry her enemy. Save her realm. Forsake her heart."?

Sign me up immediately. I know cliffhangers are a part of series but 😭. I need the next book like yesterday. I will 100% be getting a bookshelf trophy when its published. I mean not only is the cover gorgeous so is the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with an eARC of this book. It is the concluding book to The Broken Citadel duology and comes out February 2026. All opinions are my own.

Spoilers Ahead (if you haven’t read The Beasts we Bury)

Mance and Silver find themselves in the aftermath of a war torn Continent left behind by the former Prime. Mance, as the new Prime of the Cliff Realm, wants to prove to everyone, including herself that she is nothing like her father. As she gets used to her newly acquired power of personality splitting, she locks away a part of herself she doesn’t like and continues to split herself into other emotions in order to keep her own council. Tensions between her and Silver are mounting as he senses her distance and it gets worse when the Prime of the Forest Realm comes demanding her hand in marriage as part of their “prior treaty.” To prevent the imminent war, Mance agrees and goes with him to the Forest Realm in order to bide time and find another solution, but what she finds could mean death and destruction for everything she knows and loves.

At first I was a little disoriented by the completely new direction this story took. That’s not to say the first book isn’t informative to this story, but this is its own complete and different storyline. Though Silver and Mance had sweet moments, this story was more about Mance, and her coming to terms with who she is as a whole and accepting that. I thought that was done very well. I liked the POV chapters from the different Mance emotions, I thought that was an interesting way to tell the story. The descriptions of some of the magic that Reltas (and Kiar) performed were horrific and so vivid and disturbing, I really felt sorry for him and what he went through to make him get to that point. The idea of the magic system and its corruption was also very interesting especially when tied to his hate and need for vengeance. “Your hate and vengeance are destroying everyone—“ I the ending was satisfying and funnily enough, it reminded me of the Let Them Theory philosophies I just spent the last few weeks reading through. Overall I enjoyed the fresh take on POVs, the messages in this story, the expanded magic system and how it played into the plot, and the characters themselves, a win all around.

“We may not get to choose the beasts that our parents—that life buries in our hearts…but we do get to choose the beasts we raise.”

The Beasts We Raise is a gripping, emotional finale packed with magic, danger, and heart. Mancella’s journey is fierce and moving, Silver’s loyalty makes the romance unforgettable, and the stakes kept me hooked to the very end. A stunning conclusion to the Broken Citadel duology!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

I really liked this one! I enjoyed the first book, but this felt even stronger. The way it explored dealing with trauma after the fact was so powerful. By the end it leaned a little too hard into the theme (not much left to interpret for yourself), but overall I loved the concept.

The magic system?? Obsessed. I loved how it reflected what the wielder was struggling with when they entered the Broken Citadel. Such a cool, creative idea that made the world feel so alive.

Now…confession time. I just cannot with Silver. 😅 He gave me the ick the entire time and I felt zero chemistry between him and Mance. The romance felt so forced, and honestly I would’ve preferred no romance at all. (Lowkey kept hoping for a little spark between Mance and Reltas instead 👀✨). Vie and Kiar also drove me up the wall. They just came across super petulant and annoying.
The plot itself was really engaging, and I was hooked all the way through. A strong follow-up that builds beautifully on book one, with rich themes and a compelling world.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group for the ARC!

Love the title and cover ..


The beginning opens with Mance…


Beautifully written and detailed 💖


Great details and characters 💖

This book hooked me from page one—stunning writing, a vivid world, and unforgettable characters. Dark and emotional, yet full of hope. Taylor’s soft romance and masterful redemption arc made it truly special.

D.L. Taylor’s The Beasts We Raise is an emotional journey through identity, self-love, and the courage it takes to face the monsters within. From the very first page, I found myself deeply resonating with the main character and her raw, often painful struggle to accept herself. Her inner battles felt so real, so familiar, that at times it felt like reading a reflection of my own experiences. D.L. doesn’t shy away from the hard parts. She shows Mance's insecurity, shame, the fear of never being enough and it’s in that vulnerability that the story finds its deepest strength. Truly such an inspiring story.

The pacing of the story is so well balanced. Every chapter peels back a new layer, slowly building emotional weight while pulling you deeper into the richly imagined world. I was completely captivated by the other realms we get to explore in this story. Each one is unique and vividly described. Each brimming with their own secrets, dangers, and quiet beauty. It’s rare to find worldbuilding that feels this immersive and alive. I truly hope we get to see more of these realms in future books... there’s so much more to discover, and I’m not ready to let go of this world just yet!!!

Don't forget about the sweet romance! Silver's quiet strength, unwavering support, and the way he accepts Mance wholly, without conditions or expectations, was incredibly moving to read. He doesn’t try to “fix” her, but instead stands beside her as she finds her own strength. Their relationship isn’t a fairytale by any means, it’s messy, tender, and achingly real. It’s a reminder that love, at its best, doesn’t demand perfection. The true meaning throughout this duology if you ask me!

The Beasts We Raise is powerful and deeply human, even with all its magic and beasts. It’s a story that will stay with me, not just because of its romantasy elements, but because of how deeply it made me feel seen. D.L. Taylor has crafted something truly special, and I’ll be first in line for whatever comes next. <3

The Beasts We Raise is a powerful follow-up that pulled me in from the very first chapter. I enjoyed book one (though I did find the animal deaths tough to read), but this sequel was even more immersive, balancing raw emotion with hauntingly beautiful prose.

The characters feel so real—flawed, intense, and impossible not to root for—and the tension kept me hooked late into the night. Taylor has truly strengthened this series, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

This book was amazing! The story was very well written and I felt so much for the main characters. I highly recommend this book.

Like a handful of my fellow reviewers, I requested this book without knowing that this is a second book in a epic YA fantasy duology. So as the good reader I am I hopped over to read the first one. To be fair, I am semi-new to the fantasy genre so I was a little hard to follow the magic system, but this author puts enough detail in their books that it was simple enough to connect the dots. Even though I am new I have NEVER heard of a fantasy book where the FMC is able to split into other versions of themselves. Very creative and original in my opinion. As a fantasy series you'd think the books (especially the conclusion) would be 400+ pages but it's a little over 200 which is crazy but the pacing isn't as rushed as you'd think it to be which is great.

This book hooked me right away—the writing is gorgeous, the world feels so vivid, and the characters are impossible not to care about. Dark, emotional, and beautifully done. I flew through it.

Wonderful message of healing. Love the concussion! Definitely will recommend this book to someone looking for a fantasy book that is not run of the mill.

First of all, I want to thank Net Galley and MCP group for sending me an ARC!

Secondly, I really liked this duology. It was easy to follow, fun and quite honestly just a really great storyline. I love how this book picks up right where The Beats We Bury leaves off.

The multiple POVS really pulled the story together - I feel like a single POV in this probably would have left a lot of things confusing, but having multiple for this book really tied it all together.

This series was such a fun find and I really did enjoy it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC!
I have been looking foward to book two in The Broken Citadel series, and it did not disappoint!💜
This story was filled to the brim with dark magic, political intrigue and heart-racing action that made it hard to put down.
While the pacing may have been rather quick at times, overall this was a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The story picks up right where the first book ends. Mance is now Prime and has a new threat on the horizon. She is learning to deal with her powers and the repercussions of them. Silver is still present and the chemistry between them is still great. Will Mancella be able to overcome this new threat to her kingdom and her personal life or wil everything fall apart?

I think I liked this novel even more than the first book in the duology! I thought the magic system was really fun and unique. I really enjoyed the world-building and overall plot. There are some complex characters that had me yelling “nooo!! What are you thinking!?”. I had to remind myself that this is written for a younger audience. I appreciated the overall message of this book (to accept yourself for who you are and the overall focus on healing).

Thank you to Macmillan Publishing Group, Henry Holt & Co., D.L. Taylor, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely adore this series. I don't cry easily for books, but BOTH of these books brought me to tears with their endings. I love Taylor's soft, hopeful romance and how she refused to let it cave to the darkness. Carving out space for tenderness and innocence in the face of evil trying it's best to destroy it is absolutely beautiful--no one writes a redemption arc like Taylor!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This book is gonna make you rage, wanna tear out your hair, scream into the void, pick fights with your partner, anything to get the aggression out.
It’s soooo much more than a YA novel.
I usually do a little blurb in my reviews but for this I want to talk more about the emotions.
If I had to describe this book in one sentence “the meeting of righteous fury with devious and evil actions.”

This books begs you to think about what it does to take your pain and suffer and then cause it to others?
Is it revenge if you hurt everyone?
How far will you take your quest for revenge and who are you willing to sacrifice?
What does it do to an entire people when their sole focus is hurting others for revenge?
Can you heal from what you caused?

Our FMC, Mance, is dealing with the fall out of taking her father’s crown as a Prime. She is splitting herself, different aspects of her personality, into separate sentient and corporeal beings.
She can call them back and merge them with herself and share memories. They are separate but also one.
She is trying to use this power to make safe her kingdom when she is forced to marry an enemy that hates her.
However, it’s getting more and more painful to separate and to call back.

I’ve heard DL talk about how this book is suppose to be about trauma, it is uncomfortable, it should not feel easy or good. You should ask yourself questions and you should be able to sympathize and empathize with the pain. The types of trauma that the main characters go through at the hands of those in power, at the hands of those who are suppose to protect you, at the hands of those who are suppose to love you, can be seen as a mirror for so many different types of relationships in the modern world we live in.

I think that the self-reflection you do while reading this book and specifically getting to the ending it’s also very healing and necessary.

~Thank you to the publisher and author for the e-arc on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.~
The Beasts We Bury
3.5 stars over rounded up to 4.
I requested this arc because the premise sounded fun. It had all the things that I like in fantasy. I didn’t realize that it was a sequel until after I requested it. Making it so I had to pause the read and go through the first one to start/finish this original journey.
This book is relatively short, making it a fast read.
The book starts out right where the first one left off. We see our FMC, Mance, learning to cope with her powers and the struggles of being a prime. I don’t want to spoil the ending. But, as the story progresses we see her face these challenges.
The romance with Silver was cute and at times a bit frustrating due to stubbornness from both characters.

I am so grateful to have received a EARC of this book from NetGalley and Wow. This book was such a beautiful read. The second book in this series following Mance and Silver as the main two characters and the way their story builds and comes to a close at the end was absolutely beautiful. The love Silver has for Mance. The way this story unfolds in such a way I’ve never read before. It was such a good read and I definitely recommend this for those wanting a little something different in the fantasy world. Beautifully written.