ARC, 407 Pages (e-ALC, 16:12:25)
Read in Tandem
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Release Date: March 17, 2026
Published by: Red Tower Books (Recorded Books, Inc)
Read from: March 12-22, 2026
Stand-alone (?)
Source: ARC (From the Publisher)
Content Warning: Death, Sexual Content, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury Detail, Death of a Parent, Drug Use, Vomit, Alcohol
For Readers Interested In: ARC, Fantasy, Most Anticipated, New Adult, Own Voices, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Romance (Romantasy), Bombshell/Cliff-Hanger Ending, Read in TandemA MORTAL WITH NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE. AN ASSASSIN WITH EVERYTHING TO HIDE. AN EPIC ADVENTURE AWAITS. . .
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One mission. One curse. No escape.
Zaira doesn’t want a hero. She needs a weapon.
To save her sister from a soul-devouring curse, she has to cross The Shallows, a nightmare landscape of ruined magic, shifting paths, and vicious creatures that eat people alive.
Her guide? Thane sorcerer, assassin, walking red flag. His name clears rooms. His magic kills quietly. And whatever he’s really after, it’s not salvation.
He promises to help. He might even mean it.
But Zaira knows better than to trust a liar with a blade and ice in his veins.
She just doesn’t have a choice.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I gotta be honest, I didn’t have me gushing over a romantsy on my bingo card for 2026 lol Y’all know I am not a fantasy or romantasy person, so I mostly just avoid reading them. But this time, it was Black. So I had to do it.
I’m being very for real when i say I loved this so much. Part of being because it was Black. Representation matters for even the things that y’all think are small. Like when she was worried about her hair smelling while she was out doing this so she washed it. And then in the beginning when she mentions her coils. I can’t imagine how that made someone who’s natural feel. Even me reading that and seeing that she was still worried about it at a time like that made me feel the same way it did seeing her worried about her “spectacles.” As someone who wears glasses, seeing her glasses break and explaining that she can’t see without them made my heart grow three sizes.
The writing style was what did it for me. I’m not a huge fan of romantasy, so this cozy romantasy absolutely was the best call for me. There’s so many fantastical elements and so many fantastical creatures, but it doesn’t get overwhelming, it just gets so much more interesting. I was hanging on every word. I think Williams wrote this for people new to romantasy and old, hardcore readers alike.
The writing style was made even better from the audio. I was so happy that I read this in tandem because I LOVE Joniece Abbott-Pratt. She is so good! She makes everything she does sound amazing lol I And with her spin on it, I was more immersed than if I had read it with just my eyeballs.
The plot for whatever reason kept me riveted. I LOVE books and shows about quests, and although this wasn’t exactly a quest, it felt close enough. I loved all the places they visited. I just wished there was a bit more world building. (This is a me thing I’m sure. I don’t go a lot of places, so I like to be able to visited the places I read about!) I understand if I was the only one who felt like this tho. But I also loved that she was going to find her sister and find how to save her and the things she had to endure. I loved it! I really couldn’t stop reading it.
The romance was another of my favorites. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the carriage ride? And the shadow hands? Idk why I wasn’t expecting the hands, but I remember saying, “Oop OKkkkkkkkkk” out loud lmao I was a bit upset at what he did, but my gawd, I was also mad at myself because I really was thinking, “Idk I don’t feel like it was that bad….” LOLOL Clearly I’m the problem because I thought she was being too mean to him, when technically he DIDN’T lie, he just with held something….. Then he had me questioning if I was the toxic one lol But I was happy af with the MC because she did make him suffer but also still made him help her and then made her big decision at the end.
I apologize because this review was hella long lol I loved this so much and now I’m just rambling lol I don’t think I’ll be able to stop thinking about this for a long time. Especially with the cliff hanger/bombshell type ending. I don’t think I’m ready for the wait for the next one. There IS a next one right?
Overall, I gave this
