Author: Rachel Schneider
Genre: Romantasy, fantasy, new adult, LGBTQ rep (minor)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: NetGalley E-book
Release Date: June 17th, 2025
TW: Gaslighting, blood, death
I absolutely loathed this book, and it reinforced the fact that romantacy is a feast-or-famine genre for me. I kept reading out of morbid curiosity, and I was definitely dissapointed But first, the plot:
Brynn is a part of the Alahan guard, despite not being Alahan herself. The Alahans live on mangrove groves, driven away from solid ground for a crime in the past. When Bryn heads to the market run by the Kenta with her young guard friends, she is accosted by Acker, and due to those circumstances causes an international incident. When Acker gets captured by Alahan guards, Brynn is drawn to him, and learns who she really is, and how she's connected to the Kenta mainland.
I thought that the premise of the book was interesting. The premise promises a mystery, and Brynn's true origins feed into the mystery as well. The mystery unfolded at a decent clip as well.
Unfortunately, the premise is the only thing with potential in this book. Take for example, the characters. Acker is incredibly annoying, and about as emotionally compelling as a plank of wood with a bad-boy face drawn on. Brynn is also childish and naive, which could be forgiven if the narrative didn't treat her as incredibly competent. (For example, she disdains eating off a knife during a shipwreck that Acker used to kill someone). The rest of the characters are thinly drawn, and they all kind of blend together, along with the sex scenes which are plentiful and boring. I do appreciate the slight LGBTQ rep and a few POC being in the setting however.
If the characters are bad, the prose is even worse. the aforementioned knife is referred to as a 'murder knife,' and underwear that Brynn has access to later is described as 'butter underwear.' These descriptions are incredibly juvenile, jarring and immediately take me out of the story. I also don't appreciate the constant exposition, which is often out of place. The close POV (1st person) doesn't help.
The setting is so thin that again, it all blends together. The one interesting thing about Alaha for example is that it is a part of a mangrove forest. Kenta meanwhile is a generic medieval country, and is not distinguishable from its neighbors.
However, none of this is what made me mad about the book. What accomplished that is a 'twist' that insults its audience and should not be possible because of the POV of the story. When I reached the 'twist' I audibly said 'oh go fuck yourself' and only finished the book because there were a few pages left.
I will not be reading the sequel as I don't really care what happens to these characters. Maybe someone will think differently from me, and enjoy it.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!
Final Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Drink Paring: Metallic tap water (for the character's powers)
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