This introspective, evocative romantasy is brimming with heartachey emotions of grief and desire.
Royals from enemy kingdoms discover a deep connection when they team up to find a murderer.
All 18-year-old Merridan wants is to dedicate herself to serving the Goddess, assisting spirits along their passage to the Afterworld, but she exists to be the “spare” heir in case anything happens to her older twin brother, Von, who’s meant to take the Rothian throne. Von would like to see peace with Nova, their neighboring kingdom, even though the Novians use the magic from their shared lake to resurrect the dead, making them heathens as far as the Rothians are concerned. But when Von is murdered, the Novians are blamed, putting the nations on the brink of war. Deeply grieving and questioning her faith in the Goddess, Merridan performs forbidden Novian magic, intending to summon her brother, but finds herself Bound to the spirit of Phoenix Darragon, the crown prince of Nova, instead. Phoenix was murdered on the same night as Von, and now Merridan must work with him to uncover the truth behind these assassinations. As she starts to question everything she’s been taught about the Novians and their deity of mercy, Merridan finds herself falling for Phoenix and imagining a different future for the two of them. The slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance in this lush, queer-normative fantasy is full of delicious yearning and relatable uncertainty. Merridan’s approachable narrative voice propels the story forward as the intricate and compelling worldbuilding is deftly woven in. As important as the tender, budding romance are Merridan’s critical examinations of her faith and upbringing, which gives the story a coming-of-age quality that will make it extra appealing for New Adult readers.
This introspective, evocative romantasy is brimming with heartachey emotions of grief and desire.Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9798217240104
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Berkley XO
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.
After purchasing a dilapidated, century-old starship called the Destitute, Torian Razner discovers that the moss covering it is, in fact, a deeply sarcastic sentient computer with abandonment issues.
Torian’s sister, Celise, is dying. Determined to save her life by getting her to a distant planet with air she can breathe, Torian ignores her former captain Amelia Perrosk’s warning that it’s an impossible task (along with any romantic feelings she might have for Amelia). Using the only ionite bars she has to her name, Torian purchases an ancient, moss-covered alien starship that appears to be on its last legs, so to speak. She hardly expected the moss to be a sentient computer or for it to hold a century-old grudge against its former alien captain. Moss quickly proves itself to be acerbic, intelligent, and rightly angry after being having been left behind for 100 years by its former captain. The two form a reluctant and surprising alliance, Torian proving to Moss that not all captains are “dog-turd fungus,” and they both gradually evolve into the best versions of themselves, human or otherwise. It’s obvious from the early pages that Thorne has crafted a story tailored to fans of Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series and Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries. Falling somewhere between the two, this is a delightful mashup of romance, found family, and a touch of violence as Moss grapples with its feelings about its former captain and the unexpected kindness that Torian shows. Sweet without being overly saccharine, it’s a book for readers who want the adventure that comes with the vastness of outer space without its harsher realities.
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781250414144
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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