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hi! first of all I’d like to thank you for creating a world filled with stories and characters that have been with me through my youth and I still cherish dearly in adulthood. I was wondering if there was any character that was particularly memorable...
I mean, I have adored writing Dru. She is so sharp and so funny, and I loved writing her reactions to Faerie, especially when things are ridiculous. And her annoyance that you cannot find a bra in Faerie because of course not.
I love her dynamic with Ash, too, and writing a plus-size Shadowhunter was incredibly interesting and fun. I got to draw on a lot of my own teenage experiences (not that I was ever a badass demon hunter) which is always interesting and revelatory.
Categories: Authors
it’s been a while! hope you’ve been well x Q: considering outside of his time among faeries ash morgenstern was lived with and was raised by both THE sebastian morgenstern and THE jace herondale (janus) how is it that he isn’t trained fighter by the...
Hi! I hope you've been well, too.
I am not sure where the idea comes from that Ash is not trained? He is very well trained and an excellent fighter.
In Forever Fallen we already know Ash can fight; Sebastian dropped Ash into a pit of demons with only a sword and Ash fought them off. So that is canon. At that point, he is a much better fighter than Kit.
In FF, Janus agreed to try to train him as a Shadowhunter but in TKLOF we learn that due to his nature, there is some angelic magic Janus cannot access. That doesn't mean Ash isn't trained though; he has been training for years. He just doesn't know a few Shadowhunter things. He knows, however, plenty of other fighting skills Shadowhunters do not know. He has his own training room and weapons, etc.
Kit and Ash are not in competition — not in the books or, I hope, outside it! Ash's strengths are not Kit's weaknesses nor are Kit's strengths Ash's weaknesses. They are very different characters, just as Kit is very different from Will or Jace and Ty is very different from Dru or Julian.
Categories: Authors
Do Jem and Tessa know about Kit and Ty? Do we see more about them as Kit’s parents?
They know Kit and Ty had a fight and that things are weird between them. They are not dumb, and know there was a romantic aspect to Kit and Ty's relationship even if they think Kit and Ty themselves might not have known that. Without being able to answer any questions about whether they are even around to see Kit and Ty's relationship develop in TLKOF I am sort of stuck saying anything else. :) We do see how the Carstairs-Herondale family functions a bit though. They're very cute.
Categories: Authors
Can you say something about Thais’s love interest? And will we find out who it is in the first book?
I think you may well suspect who it is the first book.
Categories: Authors
Winners of This Kingdom Will Giveaway
Friday means winners! And today we have three of them for the This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me giveaway.
US Winner – This Kingdom Hardcover Copy
International Winners – 2 ARC pdf copies
and
Congratulations all!
Winners will be contacted from the modr@ilona-andrews.com email. If we don’t hear back by Wednesday, March 4th, a new winner will be drawn next Friday.
A special thank you to the Horde’s creativity for keeping me snorting through the week with over 3,000 comments of the most flooftastic alter egos. The portal fantasy realms would not know what hit them if we landed.
Online safety reminder: please be vigilant for social media scammers. We will never ask you to cover postage costs or have any other money transfer related to these giveaways and will only contact you from the official Ilona Andrews accounts, with the public blog post link as proof that you are indeed the winner.
If your name was not drawn this time, do not despair. There are more prizes and surprises to come, as we’re finally heading into the release month of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me.
Squee and happy weekend!
The post Winners of This Kingdom Will Giveaway first appeared on ILONA ANDREWS.
Categories: Authors
Forgotten Authors: S.P. Meek
S.P. Meek
Sterner St. Paul Meek was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 8, 1894. He earned as associate of science degree from the University of Chicago in 1914 and continued his education at the University of Alabama, becoming a member of Phi Beta Kappa and earned a bachelor of science in metallurgical engineering. In 1916, he transferred to the University of Wisconsin, but joined the army in 1917. Although he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology between 1921 and 1923, he remained in the army for his entire career.
While attending college, he also served as a football coach at Kirkley Junior College in Texas, as a chemist for the Western Electric Company, and at Deuvitt Laboratories, all of which went by the wayside when he joined the military. Originally stationed in the Philippines, he would go on the direct small arms ammunition research from 1923 to 1926, serve as the chief publications officer for the Ordnance Department from 1941-1944. He retired from the military in 1947 due to disability. He holds patents for tracer ammunition.
Meek married Edna Burnadge Nobel in 1927 and the couple had one son.
September 1928 Field and Stream
Meek’s first story, “Taming Poachers” to Field and Stream of all places, and it appeared in the September 1928 issue. His first story of genre interest, “The Murgatroyd Experiment,” was published in the Winter 1929 issue of Amazing Stories Quarterly and dealt with the issue of overpopulation in the year 2060. Given that Meek often used his rank as part of his byline, it isn’t surprising that he also wrote about the future of warfare, with “The Red Peril” and “The Last War” exploring germ warfare between the Soviet Union and the United States.
Many of his stories published between 1930 and 1932focused on Doctor Bird and the Bureau of Standards. Although Meek wrote fifteen stories in the series, only eleven were included in the 2010 collection The Astounding Adventures of Dr. Bird.
Meek wrote mostly at short length, although two of his works, were serialized novels. The Drums of Tapajos appeared in Amazing Stories between November 1930 and January 1931, and its sequel, Troyana, was published in Amazing Stories from February through April 1932. These novels were a lost race series set in Brazil.
During his lifetime, there was only one collection of Meek’s stories, The Monkeys Have No Tails in Zamboanga, which included fourteen of his humorous stories and was published in 1934. Two other stories were published in Arctic Bride in 1944, which only ran to 36 pages.
In addition to his science fiction, Meek published a series of animal books for children, beginning with Jerry: The Adventures of an Army Dog. He published about twenty books along those lines by 1956, including Midnight: A Cow Pony, Surfman: Adventures of a Coast Guard Dog, and Pierre of the Big Top: The Story of a Circus Poodle. He also published the nonfiction So, You’re Going to Get a Puppy in 1947.
Readers could follow Meek’s advancement through the army. From 1929 through the start of World War II, his byline indicated he was Captain S.P. Meek. After the war his byline changes to indicate he had obtained the rank of Major, and by the 1960s, he was Colonel S.P. Meek.
According to Julius Schwartz and Mort Weisinger, writing in 1933, some of Meek’s stories were revised and polished by Laurence D’Orsay, a professional literary critic, who died in 1947. D’Orsay also ran a literary agency and in the mid-1930s, he employed Henry Kuttner. A writing course D’Orsay ran helped spur Leigh Brackett’s writing career. In Silent Interviews: On Language, Race, Sex, Science Fiction, and Some Comics, Samuel R. Delany used Meek’s writing as an example of writers who were “unbelievably bad,” comparing him to other authors like Stanley G. Weinbaum who was “extraordinarily fine” and Edward E. Smith who “while bad, still had something going.”
Meek died on June 10, 1972 in Palm Beach, Florida.
Steven H Silver is a twenty-one-time Hugo Award nominee and was the publisher of the Hugo-nominated fanzine Argentus as well as the editor and publisher of ISFiC Press for eight years. He has also edited books for DAW, NESFA Press, and ZNB. His most recent anthology is Alternate Peace and his novel After Hastings was published in 2020. Steven has chaired the first Midwest Construction, Windycon three times, and the SFWA Nebula Conference numerous times. He was programming chair for Chicon 2000 and Vice Chair of Chicon 7.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Book Review: Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Del Rey (February 17, 2026)
Length: 368 pages
Author Information: Website
With a title like that, it’s almost as if Heather Fawcett’s Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter was written to be the ultimate crowd pleaser. It’s honestly difficult to imagine anyone not being charmed by this one, at least a little. It’s got all the ingredients of a successful cozy fantasy, including a magical 1920s Montreal setting, a soft and slow-burning romance between a tenderhearted widow and a misunderstood wizard, and of course, at the center of it all, a house full of judgy cats.
The novel follows Agnes Aubert, a woman struggling to keep her small cat rescue afloat. The past few years have not been kind to her. After her husband’s sudden death, she was left to manage the shelter on her own, aided only by her sister and the occasional volunteer. They are constantly stretched thin, with too many cats in need of homes and never enough funds to cover the basic necessities plus veterinary care. And as if that wasn’t enough, Agnes is now faced with the near-impossible task of finding a new location after their previous building was destroyed by a couple of careless wizards having an impromptu duel in the streets. With winter closing in, if she cannot secure a new space, her animals will freeze. Yet what landlord in their right mind would agree to rent to a woman with dozens of stray cats which many still dismiss as little better than vermin?
Out of options, Agnes decides to take a chance on a suspiciously affordable property with a dubious reputation. While she has her misgivings, desperation leaves little room for pride. However, it doesn’t take long to discover why the rent is so cheap. Hidden in the basement is a secret magicians’ den run by the notorious wizard Havelock Renard, a man rumored to have once nearly brought about the end of the world. Agnes, however, has little interest in him or his legend. As long as she has a safe haven for her cats, she’s willing to put up with nearly anything. But when a rival from Havelock’s past resurfaces looking to settle an old score, the resulting conflict spills into Agnes’s carefully managed world. No longer able to ignore the magical chaos, she finds herself reluctantly drawn into a battle she never wanted to fight.
What follows next strikes a careful balance between the everyday realities of running a shelter and the steadily escalating trouble brewing downstairs, both literally and figuratively. Fawcett never loses sight of the practical details that shape Agnes’s life, like the routine of taking in strays, juggling adoption inquiries, as well as scraping together enough money for food, medicine, and bills. I was happy to see that the cats weren’t just thrown in to be cutesy. They’re essential to the story, each possessing their own quirks and, um, very strong opinions. Their presence keeps both our characters and the plot grounded, so that even when everything else blows up, they are a constant reminder of what’s important in Agnes’s life.
Speaking of which, characters are where this book really shines. Agnes’s world revolves around the cats, and she’s completely unapologetic about it. At the same time, there is a thread of grief running beneath her practicality and stubbornness. She’s also sensitive and deeply empathetic, with most of her quirks being coping mechanisms that prevent her emotions, which are always hovering near the surface, from breaking through. This is in stark contrast to Havelock, who despite his ominous reputation is socially awkward and comes across a little scatter brained. One gets the sense he’s not a fan of his bad rap but tolerates it by convincing himself he’d rather be feared and left alone. Watching them struggle to co-exist in this shared space is half the fun, especially when it turns out Havelock is allergic to cats! It’s a relationship that develops slowly, through small acts of kindness. In a way, these feel more meaningful and swoony than grand gestures ever will.
All that adds up to a cozy, relaxing read. The magic itself is handled with a light touch but definitely present and applied in some fun and creative ways, especially with the cats! I liked how Fawcett wrote these elements into the very fabric of the story without overwhelming it, but at the same time it’s more substantial than window dressing. The setting also plays its part, even though it’s clear that historical detail is not a priority. Still, the environment lends the book an old-world kind of charm through its descriptions and the culture of its close-knit French-Canadian neighborhoods.
In the end, Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter works because it knows exactly what kind of story it wants to be: a simple yet effective cozy fantasy, wistful and quirky in places to draw you in, but ultimately warm and comforting where it counts. It’s the kind of easy, low-stakes novel you want to curl up with after a long day, and even if you aren’t a cat person, it will warm your heart.
Categories: Fantasy Books
hi cassie! i am SO excited we’re going to hear from clary after so long in TLKOF and have her as a minor narrator, i was wondering will she be separated from the rest of the tmi gang in New York during TLKOF? can you tell us anything about what she’s...
It would definitely be fun to do an event in LA for the Wicked Powers, as the roots are there for so much of the story! And we do go back to Los Angeles in Wicked Powers — it's not just where Kit, Ty and Dru are from, it's the place Ash sort of lived in Thule.
Hmm, we do see a little of Clary and Jace in Better in Black, in terms of the years between TDA and TWP, and what happens in that story does reflect into LKOF. (Not in a way where you'll be lost if you haven't read it, just remember the word 'prophecy.' But it gets explained.)
I will say there's a scene in Pandemonium at the beginning of the book, with all the TMI gang there, and it was nice to go full circle back to the very beginning of TSC. Whether they stay together I cannot say. :)
Categories: Authors
Dark Muse News: Sword & Sorcery Chain Story (#14-#18)
- A standalone tale
- Readable in any order
- Free to read
- Interconnected via a theme involving a Crown
- 14 Blight by Katherine Monasterio
- 15 In The Land of the Giants, by Bryan Young (second in the series via the chain!))
- 16 Demonfire: A Tale of Shintaro Oba by C. L. Werner
- 17 Terror Above Icehenge by Malcolm T. North
- 18 The Sapphire and the Sorceress by Bryan Young (third in the series via the chain!)
- The Chain Story 2 – Sword and Sorcery Entries 1-3 (Aug 2025)
- The Chain Story 2 – Sword and Sorcery – Episodes 4-8 (Oct 2025)
- The Chain Story 2 – Sword and Sorcery – Episodes 9-13 (Nov 2025)
As with all good heroes, Pip does not shrink from danger and adventure. Still, there are times when it would be good to relax at home. But Pip is far from home, and is searching for a powerful sorceress who can help him on his way.
17 January 14, 2026 Terror Above Icehenge Malcolm T. NorthTo reach her, however, he’ll have to venture through the Chaos Realm and, as every true hero knows if you undertake that journey lightly, it will end quickly. But Pip has no choice, and therein our adventure begins.
16 December 31, 2025 Demonfire: A Tale of Shintaro Oba C. L. WernerA forbidden ritual conducted in secret, bathed in blood and death enables a demon to grasp unimaginable power—the power to destroy all enemies and raise himself above all others.
15 December 24, 2025 In The Land of the Giants, Bryan YoungA Samurai, whose duty calls for him to hunt down such a creature. A destiny he must pursue even as the world burns around him.
14 December 10, 2025 Blight Katherine Monasterio Forest Ranger Hazel Boncliff is a Green Speaker, a person with the magical ability to commune with plants. When the king summons Hazel and her assistant to the capital to heal the strange blight affecting his hunting grounds, she’s reluctant to help—least of all because he’s insisting his inexperienced secretary go along for the journey. But with a reward she can’t refuse and the blight’s effects more harrowing by the moment, she’ll take all the help she can get. 13 November 26, 2025 Ice Hawk’s Aerie Bryan Young A chance meeting in the dark forest. A tale of woe and injustice.Pip Strongpaw, the last of the fabled Great Catriders, must once again wield the runed-sword Feathersbane, to end the chilling menace threatening to destroy the hamlet of Riveroak. A menace of sorcerous origins against which even the bravest of heroes may not prevail. 12 November 12, 2025 Blood for the River Michael Stackpole Chased into a swamp by homicidal cultists, Kellach and Serinna encounter a fire mage who saves their lives, and then leads them on an adventure that is sure to get them killed. 11 October 14, 2025 Of Nightmares & Jewels Robert Greenberger Something drew the mage onward, always toward the northwest, through restless evenings and dark dreams of ill portent. Yet when Jareth’s traveling companion, the swordswoman Talin, asks him why, he has no idea.
And then they reached a tiny town at the edge of nowhere, wherein lurked an evil with roots sunk deep in times beyond remembering; an evil that has chosen their visit as a time to awaken. 10 October 14, 2025 The Cursed Cuff Aaron Rosenberg She came to them spinning a tale of woe. An army of undead lay siege to the Manor she called home. She had barely escaped and sough adventurers brave enough to free her people.
But to do that Birr Blackjaw and his companions would have to wrest an ancient artifact from the hands of a cult leader who had his own army, and a hellish pet none could hope to defeat. 9 October 1, 2025 The Monastery Plot Bryan Young Shield Maiden and legendary sleuth Sister Agatha, accompanied by her faithful initiate, Brother Dominguez, sought to enjoy peace and quiet at the Monastery of St. Maryam.Despite their desires, they soon find themselves investigating twin murders. Murders which become all that much more bizarre when the name Tarru-Syn turns up, and their search leads them into the very bowels of the earth, to face a foe from beyond their reality. 8 September 24, 2025 On Memories Michael Stackpole Dancillius Hrekt is fairly new to the world of Monster Fighting. All he wants to do is to make a good impression with his peers. And all they want is for him and his best friend to die. 7 September 10, 2025 The Village of Morvoss Thomas Grayfson In this new Kavion adventure, our tormented knight clings to the last threads of family and sanity as he navigates the mysterious Village of Morvoss. Haunted by fractured memories, he must confront the darkness around him—and within. 6 August 27, 2025 Fragment of a Sorcerous Crown Joan Marie Verba In this tale from the Chronicles of the Library of Sorcery, the sorcerers investigate a dangerous magical artifact of mysterious origin. Can the sorcerers uncover the truth?Sorcerer Serena is called to investigate an enormous, carnivorous plant. She finds that a mysterious magical artifact is behind the phenomenon. To find out where the artifact came from and what its properties might be, she consults the Library of Sorcery, where she uncovers the answers, but not on the Library shelves. Can the artifact be banished from the sorcerous regions before it becomes a more deathly threat? 5 August 13, 2025 Grave’s Brood S.E. Lindberg Doktor Grave sends Brood to recover a crown from the Red Orchard, only for Brood to find it is the source of a bloody plague caused by Grave’s experiments. Facing vampiric plants and their loyal clan, Brood must confront his past and question whether he can trust Grave or escape the nightmare himself. 4 July 28, 2025 Shard of Song Rigel Ailur Two wizards search desperately for a way to stave off a vicious magical-musical attack before the dragons succumb. A powerful relic ancient beyond memory calls to them, but do they dare use it? 3 July 16, 2025 Forest of the Fallen Colossus Bryan Young A dying robber hands Laila and Zaki a mysterious artifact in the middle of a fae-haunted wood. “Danger,” the robber manages before dying. Suddenly sister and brother find themselves safeguarding an unwanted gift—on the run for their lives in the Forest of the Fallen Colossus. 2 July 3, 2025 Death Grip Michael Stackpole The man hadn’t died easily.A smoking hole sat where his heart should have been. Terror twisted his features, and he clutched an emerald reeking of magick as if would somehow save him. Neryon and Magistrate-Martial Logan find themselves in a race to find the killer before he has a chance to harvest more victims. But, with the amount of power used on his first target, there was a big gulf between finding and stopping; and no guarantee he wouldn’t kill them, too. 1 July 3, 2025 Blade of the Storm Witch Robert E. Vardeman Her vengeance became elemental! The Conqueror-King’s minion murdered her pirate husband. The Lady Rennata was condemned to follow him into a watery grave—until wind and wave swept her to a magical blade that commands all of Nature.
S.E. Lindberg is a Managing Editor at Black Gate, regularly reviewing books and interviewing authors on the topic of “Beauty & Art in Weird-Fantasy Fiction.” He has taken lead roles organizing the Gen Con Writers’ Symposium (chairing it in 2023), is the lead moderator of the Goodreads Sword & Sorcery Group, and was an intern for Tales from the Magician’s Skull magazine. As for crafting stories, he has contributed eight entries across Perseid Press’s Heroes in Hell and Heroika series, and has an entry in Weirdbook Annual #3: Zombies. He independently publishes novels under the banner Dyscrasia Fiction; short stories of Dyscrasia Fiction have appeared in Whetstone Amateur S&S Magazine, Swords & Sorcery online magazine, Rogues In the House Podcast’s A Book of Blades Vol I & II, DMR’s Terra Incognita, the 9th issue of Tales From the Magician’s Skull, Savage Realms Magazine, and Michael Stackpole’s S&S Chain Story 2 Project.
Categories: Fantasy Books
hi cassie, may i ask how malec’s doing so far with the whole alec got a big big promotion and gotta rebuild the clave from outside idris thing, getting promoted and work double compared to the last guy at work gotta be a stressful experience lol. maybe...
In LKOF, the main focus they have is on the issues with the Cohort. Obviously that situation was never going to be stable, and Alec and the others have managed to be in touch with Zara and the Cohort in Idris, and they're desperately trying to set up some kind of peace talks. It's been years since Alec became Consul, so it's more about the issues they're having right in the moment that affect them all and less about adjustment.
Categories: Authors
What has been the most challenging part of writing this final trilogy? Additionally, thank you for writing characters that me and so many people see ourselves in.
Two things, one emotional and one logistical:
There are now so many characters and so much that we know about the world, all that information and all those people have to be juggled while still making sure Kit, Ty, Ash and Dru have center stage.
Secondly, it's just very hard to think about saying goodbye. Even if just visiting a location I have to think about if it's the last time I'll describe it. Very nerve-wracking!
And thank you!
Categories: Authors
Are we going to see Ty learn about autism?
You won't see him learn it so much as he already knows about it. In the first scene with him, he discusses what it means for him in terms of his work at the Scholomance, and we later see him thinking about and discussing what it is like in terms of being a neurodivergent Shadowhunter. Kit has also read a ton about it as has Ty's whole family. He does explain why he does things a certain way sometimes, but never to anyone who has no context for it. It's more a "this is me and how I do things" — he never feels bad about it, and never has to excuse any part of himself. There are ways in which it makes him a better Shadowhunter, and that's explored a bit too.
Categories: Authors
Hi Cassie, Will Kit try to better understand his powers?
He will find out what they are. (And if they're wicked.)
Categories: Authors
Hi, Cassie! I would like to know about Tavvy in TWP. What is he doing? He is still a child, right? But will we know more about his relationship with his siblings and Max and Rafe?
Tavvy is still just a child, and so are Max and Rafe, so as of book 1, we see very little of them as the danger is such that they have to be protected. Mostly they are thought about but not seen.
Categories: Authors
As a gay autistic person, I never thought I would see myself in a character, until you wrote Ty. Thank you so much! My question, however, has to do with another character. Was the “new” Belial: 1) A pre-existing demon that was promoted to or inherited...
Hi! I may have answered this in another format, but just to say 1) Thank you for the kind words about Ty and 2) It's definitely 2 — a brand new demon. That's why current Belial has no interest in the Herondales, thankfully!
Categories: Authors
Hi! I think this is in reference to the Kitty endpapers for the trade edition of Last King of…
Hi! I think this is in reference to the Kitty endpapers for the trade edition of Last King of Faerie? They are so pretty.
So, the choice to have Kit and Ty on the endpapers is because half the book is about them. I was so puzzled by the phrase “Dru and Kit book” that I thought we were discussing a different project and I couldn’t figure out what it was! I think it’s Last King of Faerie, but I would never think of it as a Dru and Kit book. For one thing, that sounds like they’re dating, which I think we can all agree would be a bad idea!
For another, Ty and Ash are just as important character-wise. We spend less time in their heads (although we do see from both POVs) but that is not a marker of how important a character is but rather a marker of what secrets people are keeping.
“Will we have more amazing Kit and Ty scenes”
That’s a very kind way to ask :) While I can’t say what happens, Kit and Ty have countless scenes together. Other than maybe the first chapter or two of the book, before Ty arrives at Cirenworth, they are together in every scene that either one of them is in. Except sometimes one of them goes to the bathroom. I hope we will not judge them for being apart at those moments. :)
Kit and Ty are just as important as Dru and Ash and they get just as much page time, in fact, if you’re counting pages they get maybe ten more. But I do think when you’ve come down to counting pages it may be more of an anxiety exercise than anything else!
I am sure there will be lots of Kitty artwork. I will certainly commission art, but most art is at the whim of the fanartists of our lovely fandom. I do not think they will let you down.
There are other editions with other endpapers that are not Kit and Ty — there’s Dru and Ash, there’s Livvy, there’s the Seelie Court. But the main and most common edition you’ll find is Kitty and we chose that because half the book is their story.
(I’m trying to be better about answering questions! Stay with me!)
Categories: Authors
Spotlight on “Upward Bound” by Woody Brown
Other LitStack Spots Other Titles that Litstack has spotted and that we have our eyes…
The post Spotlight on “Upward Bound” by Woody Brown appeared first on LitStack.
Categories: Fantasy Books
Red Star Rebels - Quick Book Review
Red Star Rebelsby Amy KaufmanWhat is it about:It’s 2067, and the Graves family has transformed Mars from lifeless rock into a chaotic patchwork of settlements—and everybody wants a piece.
Enter Hunter Graves: handsome, ambitious, and with spectacularly bad timing. He shows up at the United Nations base just as an emergency evacuation sends everyone scurrying for safety. Except he’s left behind. Uh oh.
Also stranded: Cleo, a sharp-tongued stowaway with no intention of dying today, and even less patience for overconfident trust fund boys. But the enemy of your enemy might just help you survive, so here we are.
Turns out the evacuation was just a cover for the mercenaries who came next, and they plan to blow up the base—and every trace of their crime—in eight hours.
Now, Hunter and Cleo have one shot to stop the explosion, escape alive, and deal with the inconvenient fact that they’re falling for each other.
The clock is ticking.
What did I think of it:This book was promoted somewhere as 'Die Hard meets...' (Yes, I forgot what the other thing was.)The Die Hard reference was enough for me to pick it up though.
And this is indeed a fun YA SciFi with elements that make the comparison to Die Hard a fair one.
The story is told from both Hunter's and Cleo's point of view in alternating chapters. After a short introduction to both and the setting, the action starts and keeps going in a pleasant pace. I really liked Cleo's fast thinking and creative solutions. There were a few surprises along the way, but those felt natural and believable.
All in all a very enjoyable read.
Why should you read it:It's YA Die Hard on Mars
Categories: Fantasy Books
Review: Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
Buy Daughter of No Worlds
FORMAT/INFO: Daughter of No Worlds was traditionally published by Bramble Romance on October 14th, 2025. It is 512 pages long and available in hardcover and ebook formats.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Tisannah is a woman with a rare gift of magic, but that matters little when you're a slave. For years she's been nothing more than a prized possession, using her gift to make pretty illusions for her master's parties. But when betrayal ends in bloodshed, Tisannah flees for her life to the one place she's always dreamed of: the Tower of the Orders. She believes this magical organization can give her the resources she needs to return to her home and free the rest of her fellow slaves. Unfortunately before the mages will lift a finger, Tisannah needs to become a member of their Orders herself. That means completing an apprenticeship - and the only mage available is the reclusive Maxantarius, who absolutely refuses to be of any help to the Orders for reasons he won't talk about. But Tisannah's sheer determination eventually wears down those walls, exposing her own heart in the process.
Daughter of No Worlds is a perfect blend of epic fantasy and romance, a slow burn love story nestled into the heart of a tale of intrigue and politics. My favorite romances always focus on the developing relationship between two characters. I'll take enemies to friends to lovers over instalove every day of the week. Daughter of No Worlds is one of those stories.
Maxantarius (who goes by Max) is bitter, reclusive, and stubborn. Tisannah wears her heart on her sleeve and is tenacious in fighting for those she loves. Which is why she's not going to be prevented from learning magic just because her mentor Max refuses to teach her (or anyone for that matter). What follows is a butting of heads that eventually softens to begrudging respect and more. Every beat feels earned, and I am absolutely rooting for these characters.
But that's only half of Daughter of No Worlds' plot. The rest focuses on the increasing instability of the kingdom that is aligned with the Orders as war seems likely. The politics surrounding those tensions give Tisannah a unique window to bargain for the fate of her people - if she can figure out something to offer the right person. The politics of the story aren't overly deep or intricate, but there's definite power players at the table that Max and Tisannah have to deal with to achieve their goals, and I appreciated this counterbalance to the romance. This is the beginning of a saga; we'll be following Max and Tisannah across the full trilogy, and the author does a good job getting us invested in this world.
Daughter of No Worlds is definitely a top tier romantic fantasy. You can come for magic, for war, for harrowing backstories. But running through all of that is a wonderful slow burn romance that hooked me in. It's a romance of respect and partnership and I cannot wait to see where things go in the next book.
Categories: Fantasy Books
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