STARSIDE

A woman’s quest for revenge against the gods leads her to enter a deadly competition—and into the path of the man who betrayed her.

A devastating war has split the land in two. Starside is home to the magically gifted, while Stormside is for mortals who can only dream of achieving a shred of wealth and power. Every 50 years, 50 Stormside inhabitants are given the chance to reach a magical wellspring accessible only to Starside’s godly descendants. Their goal is not guaranteed, as the journey to the pool is perilous. Aris, a blacksmith’s apprentice, is determined to be one of the Stormside challengers, but first she’ll have to pass the Culling, a deadly contest in which the king decides who is worthy to venture on. Aris isn’t after magic, though. Instead, she hopes her access to Starside will allow her to exact revenge on the goddess who burned down her village and murdered her family. Also participating in the Culling is Harlan Raker, the cold and calculating head of the king’s guard. There’s no love lost between Aris and Raker—plus, guards are known to have the king’s support and Aris doesn’t trust Raker’s motives for entering the Culling. This romantasy hits all the familiar notes: an enemies-to-lovers romance, a dangerous trial, a main character with a tragic backstory who’s coming into her own power. There’s nothing new here, but from the opening, with Aris’ debut in the Culling, the pace never lets up as characters are introduced and details of the world are teased.

Romantasy fans may feel like they’ve been here before.