CITY OF SOULS AND SINNERS, second in the House of Devils dark romantasy series

CITY OF SOULS AND SINNERS (House of Devils #2)
KAYLA EDWARDS
Scarlett Press/Simon & Schuster (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$23.00 paperback, available now

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: In the sequel to City of Gods and Monsters, Loren Calla and Darien Cassel have settled back into their old routines, grateful that the whirlwind of dangers they’d faced on Kalendae and the weeks leading up to it are now behind them—or so they think.

But Loren soon finds herself caught in a new storm of trouble when the Terran Imperator blackmails her into working for him. There’s only one problem: he expects her to use her magic, and she doesn’t seem to have any of it left. To keep Darien and the other Devils safe, she agrees to everything the imperator asks of her. But the secrets she is forced to keep from Darien, and her involvement with the imperator’s son, threaten to drive her away from Darien in ways she might never recover from…

As Randal Slade’s successor, Darien wants nothing to do with the throne his father once sat in, but the city of Angelthene has other plans. The Magical Protections Unit asks for his help in taking down the illegal arms trade his father once dabbled in, and to do that Darien must claim his place at the top of the tiers of Darkslayers—a crown the other circles are willing to kill to possess. As he spirals deeper into the secrets his father kept, he makes enemies of friends and friends of enemies—and finds himself buried so deep in Angelthene’s underbelly that he is uncertain he’ll ever get out of it. And if that wasn’t enough, Darien fears he is going crazy when he starts to see creatures that only he can see…

Return to Angelthene in City of Souls and Sinners, a gripping, action-packed tale that tackles themes of love and loss, light and darkness, and the battle between good and evil—and what happens when you can’t tell which is which.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I somehow did not notice, or possibly retain, the information that this is #2 in a series...and that it's got child abuse as one of its themes. It's a serious no-go area for me. It is presented to us in flashback, so supposed to be cushioned that way...we know it came out okay since it's been survived.

Nope. I'm seeing the damage, the awful burden the adult carries and not happy to see it in the flashbacks. It's also a cishet romance, moderate steam, so not going to appeal to me there either. (At. All.) So how'd that fourth star appear?

Clocking in at 750ish pages, it should've been a serious effort to connect the worldbuilding dots for someone stating here, yet it wasn't. It's possible I'd be more annoyed at the slower pace if I'd read the first one. As it was it felt as though I was being given a shot at really getting in there, getting the lay of the land. I felt the magic system was a bit fuzzy, but then checked my response because it's book two so shuddupppp. I flipped past the steamy bits, but it's not like that's anyone's *fault* I'm just not the audience. Darien does some world-class yearning for Loren. I'm always happy to see a man presented as unashamedly being in his feelings for someone, and dude's down bad for this (dull to me) woman and not a bit hesitant to say so: "Do you want me on my knees? Do you want me to beg, is that it? Because I will, I’ll crawl for you."

The size of the cast wasn't as much of an issue as I'd thought it would be. I took in the nicely detailed map in the front matter, then hit the dramatis personae that kept going and going...and turns out I kept up fine because there was enough real estate to do a decent amount of character building for most everyone.

It's on the downside, though, that there are as many opportunities as there are for the romantasy reader with a taste for the yearn to get their fix. Five fewer would not make a negative impact on the story itself. I'm also not convinced we needed the urpsome flashbacks about horrific child abuse. Like, at all. I'm admittedly totally outraged by the topic, but even someone who does not have my sensitivity could see the ease with which we-the-reader could get along fine with only dealing with the aftermath would give the same result.

I mean:

"You belong with me." His words were a declaration. A shout out into the universe, a claim that could not be challenged. "No one else. This—" He lifted her left hand to his chest, flattening it right above his heart, his strong pulse thumping under her palm. When he spoke, his eyes burned with passion and intent. "This is yours. From now until the day I die, and every day after, I am yours. Got it?"

Who needs the cruelty?

DAGGERMOUTH, start of a dark fantasy series very relevant to the world of 2026

DAGGERMOUTH (The Heart #1)
H.M. WOLFE
Scarlett Press (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$11.99 ebook, availble now

Rating: 4 wincing stars of five

The Publisher Says: Set in a corrupt surveillance state ruled by the masked elite, this true enemies-to-lovers dystopian romance that’s Conform meets V For Vendetta follows a mercenary who botches the assassination of the president’s son and ends up forced to marry him.

The first thing you’ll learn in New Found Haven is that mercy doesn’t exist. The second thing is that, from the highest glass atrium in the Heart to the windowless slums of the Boundary, the Veyra are always watching.

The last lesson is the hardest, but you must remember it: Love outside of your ring is a death sentence.

The city is carved into rings of privilege and poverty, ruled by the masked elite who will do whatever it takes to hold onto power. Obedience is demanded. Rebellion is crushed.

Greyson Serel has spent his life caught between two worlds. Publicly, he’s the flawless heir to the presidency. Privately, he’s entangled in secrets that could topple the regime. But when he’s forced into a political marriage meant to bind him tighter to the government’s brutal laws, he finds himself shackled to a bride as lethal as she is unwilling.

Shadera Kael is a mercenary raised to kill, not to wed. Yet when her bullet misses its mark, survival leaves her tied to the very man she was sent to eliminate. Trapped inside the corrupt heart of the city, she becomes both prisoner and wife, her every step watched, her every move tested.

Their union is no love story—it’s a battlefield. As secrets come to light and betrayals fester within the walls of power, Greyson and Shadera must decide between annihilating each other or burning the city to the ground together.

In a world where passion has consequences and loyalty is paid for in blood, their forced bond may be the spark that ignites a revolution. Or the fire that consumes them both.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I read almost 550 pages of a "romance" I was the opposite of invested in. I prefer reading about romances I find involving, those between men; I'm willing read them about women finding and falling for each other; but men falling for women? Not on my Kindle. So I screwed up when I said yes to this DRC. I opened it to get it over with, write my "not for me" dismissal, and vowed to learn from my mistake.

Then I started reading, and the voice hooked me. "The first thing you'll learn in New Found Haven is that mercy no longer exists. Mercy is a weakness, and weakness will get you killed."

I'm sat.

I was able to flip past the "open-door" sex scenes, a term I had not realized was now mainstream enough to be in the publisher's comprehensive content warnings (as an aside, they also have a trigger statement with directions to the mental-health helpline, which...well, good on ya guys), and get absorbed into this only-slightly-darker than reality take on politics, social stratification, and populations under rigid control.

It's first in a set, a duology per the sales material though I suspect if this builds a goodly Tumblr, Threads, and/or Reddit following it could go farther into the world it's created. Goodness knows the potential is there, the commentary on the current state of the world is trenchant and tendentious, while the delineation of boundaries is sharp enough to slice a finger carelessly placed right off.

There's a great deal of strategic maneuvering once the promised rebellion begins, all explained in what might be too much detail for the romantasy-lite reader. I was happy, and involved, and invested. There is a lot of dystopia-defining detail that, honestly, could be pruned...cracks in things are on-the-nose after two, maybe three, iterations. The oppressive reality of living under surveillance is familiar to me as someone who lives in the *heavily* surveilled Bronx, with police cameras literally everywhere including on the light standard a floor below me outside my window. In Long Beach, the boardwalk had cameras everywhere as well. It's the reality of life under capitalism, where all those cameras had to be purchased, maintained, and then the collected data processed...for a fee.

So the read was, for me anyway, useless for the romance but terrific as a warning of "that's the way this parade is headed." I think the couple got together, don't quote me on that they coulda been cheating on each other for all I care; but the FMC is interesting from the beginning and, in a last-minute reveal of a secret, only becomes more so and thus points the next story in a really interesting direction.

This would be an almost-five-star warble of delight absent heteronormativity.

Perfection is not of this Earth.

JULIE JOHNSON'S PAGE: The Reign of Remnants romantasy series

THE SEA SPINNER (Reign of Remnants #2)
JULIE JOHNSON
Ace Books (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$14.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 4.25*of five

The Publisher Says: Blazing with reawakened magic, a young woman challenges the tides of fate in this highly anticipated installment of Julie Johnson’s romantasy series.

Everything changed for Rhya Fleetwood in the battle of Fyremas. Her grief is heavy, her rage volatile. Caeldera lies in ruins. Her friends are dead or wounded. And Pendefyre, their newly crowned king, is shutting her out. The Remnant of Fire needs all his focus for his kingdom, his people, and—perhaps more than anything—his insatiable need for revenge.

When a twist of fate leads Rhya to the last place she expected—the Water Court—the novice wind weaver is forced to confront the limitations of her untrained power as well as her increasingly complicated relationships. For enigmatic King Soren of Llŷr is as different from Penn as sparks are from the sea. The more insight he offers into the maegic that binds them together, the more confused Rhya feels—about her future as a Remnant, about her deepest desires, and about her role in the coming war.

Enemies circle close, ready to strike. And if Rhya isn’t careful, she’ll lose more than just her heart.

She’ll lose her life.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: The geopolitical forces that clashed so inevitably and so violently in The Wind Weaver (review below) are recovering from the ugliness of battles fought but a war as yet unwon. Rhya's got more than just her powers to unleash, though, as she's got her love life to resolve as well as, oh y'know just the fate of the world, so no bigs and no pressure.

Penn continues to be bloody annoying, Soren continues to be my beau ideal of a boyfriend who could turn into a spouse of the most delectable rarity and scrummyness. Hey Rhya, if you want to continue to try that "but I can fix him" shtik with the yutz Penn, can I have Soren please and thank you?

Sadly for me, not only is Soren fictional but Rhya shows more than her usual (from last outing) romantic acuity while battening of Soren's Water Court vibe of collegiality, support, and genuine appreciation for her Wind magic. You go, girl! (Does he have a brother/uncle/cousin?)

The first third of the read was pretty pillar-to-post getting Rhya where she needed to be. I'm glad now that I have a sense that Author Julie Johnson is not going to give me anything all that fast-paced because it allows me to settle my expectations on the accepting it as it comes end of the spectrum.

I also understand now, having read these stories in close time-proximity that the ending of The Wind Weaver was very intentional. I'm ready to bump up my rating on this story despite its ending. That makes it sound like it's bad, but in point of fact it's merely evil-heated and cruel: It's a cliffhanger. Those really need to be outlawed. I should be able to start a class-action human-rights violation suit against Author Julie Johnson. I get it now...the endings are going to be like this in the whole series.

So where's book three, gorramit?! February 2027 is too long to wait!

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THE WIND WEAVER (Reign of Remnants #1)
JULIE JOHNSON
Ace Books (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$12.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Discover a world where magic isn’t learned. It’s survived. A gritty and intoxicating epic fantasy romance.

Rhya Fleetwood is a healer, an outcast, and like the realm itself—about to die. Or so she thought.

When the ruthless Commander Scythe plucks her from the vile clutches of her executioner there’s no time to feel relief. Her new captor wants Rhya for his own secret ends and they all lead back to the mysterious birthmark which brands her as a Remnant. One of four souls capable of calling forth inconceivable elemental power.

Rhya knows she must master the wind that whispers within her and make an escape. But as she is dragged across treacherous terrain with Scythe’s formidable band of soldiers, something keeps her at his side.

Inside her, a tempest roars—terror and desire. Soon, she knows she must choose.

Follow her magic, or her heart…

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Strap in. This is a very long ride/read. I'm really not much of a romantasy reader because I want my romance between men and my maegickq absent or limited in its narrative use. Neither of those desiderata are delivered (or indeed promised) in this narrative. Still, it's a debut novel and a Sunday Times (UK) bestseller, so my curiosity was definitely piqued. Saying yes to the DRC didn't seem urgent so I did.

It's been a year since then, a second book (review above) has come out, and I'm quite surprised to report that I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Author Julie Johnson is not pushing any envelopes, nor was she touted by her publisher as doing so. I entered the reading experience hoping for a diverting low-steam, finding love and purpose at the same time, story trope-fest. I was expecting to need to skim past sex scenes disagreeable to my preferences.

Well...yeah...about that. Rhya has two possible love-matches. Penn's the main one, and goddesses below us is he tedious to read about. He's curiously unimaginitive for someone of his elevated station. Soren's more interesting because he's irreverent and funny with it, lightens Rhya's apparent bipolar-disorder moods, and generally feels like he's got main-character energy. In its most nuanced meaning. I'm happy enough to report there was pretty minimal scene skimming until we get to the topic of violence.

This story is violent.

Intentionally, carefully so; it still has a LOT of violent scenes that were almost...very, very nearly...gratuitously and salaciously, visceral pornographic gore. In a story intended as, marketed to appeal to, romantasy reading folk. These folk lean towards female identity. The violence is preponderently involving females. That felt like an odd choice, but it was not the only odd choice (see my opinion of Rhya's romantic options above): the pacing, or "how slow can you go" too.

I'm really, really drawn to the idea of being a Chosen One whose status is an ambivalent-leaning-bad one. I'm used to the social/societal trials and tribulations part of the Chosen Ones narrative but this world offers a story of the powers themselves being kind of awful and using them being a chore. (I'm a fan of KJ Charles's Simon Feximal for this reason.) A great deal more could've been done to explore this as opposed to the two skabillion words wasted on Rhya's experiences once she gets to the royal court.

In case my opinion on this authorial choice is not clear: I am not a fan of Rhya's tremendously long non-magical maladjustment to the court.

I hope you now understand my star rating above. It assorts oddly with my surprised pleasure with this debut romantasy that had few of my desiderata in that genre, has a very, very promising world to build out, and unusually powerful good fortune to find a paying audience in sizable numbers.

On to book two I now go with hope in my heart, and a (slightly strained) smile on my face!