Hamlet & Juliet (The Star Crossed, #1) by Clare Edge ARC Review

This is a spoiler-free review! The version I am reading is an ARC - any changes made for the final publication are not reflected in this review. Hamlet & Juliet will be available to purchase on January 5, 2027. Content warnings are available on the author's website, here.

I would first like to thank NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review. The concept of this book really drew me in - I loved my fair share of Shakespeare in high school, and while I have not been as great recently in making my way through his works, this was a nice way to revisit his plays in a new and enticing way. The fantasy aspect had certainly been one of the major components that pulled me in - since I have been on a fantasy kick, this immediately caught my eye. The author was able to incorporate a decent amount of Hamlet into her tale, and while not many details from Romeo & Juliet were transferred over into Juliet and Hamlet's story, the essence and background of the play was still there.

The aspect of having Juliet's lips and fingernails be black after she came back to life was a great decision - it allows for a physical and constant reminder to not only Juliet, but to the reader, that she has been through quite an unimaginable ordeal. She continues to carry the loss of Romeo with her throughout this story, both literally and figuratively. Readers have to watch her basically suffer in silence for a duration of this book until she is able to share her sufferings with Hamlet in a most unexpected way.

Hamlet's character has been affected by Death in a different way than Juliet - his father has passed and now his ghost torments Hamlet at every turn. With rumors of the Miracle of Verona surrounding Juliet as she and her mother arrive to his estate, he soon seeks out her in an attempt to put an end to these hauntings once and for all. As Juliet and Hamlet become more entangled in each other's sufferings, more things grow afoot in Denmark and Hamlet's story takes precedence over Juliet's in order to drive the plot forward. 

Once you are past the halfway mark, the pacing begins to pick up - and to be quite honest, it was moving a little too fast for my liking at some points. Incorporating aspects from Hamlet is certainly a daunting task, but for readers who have not read the play, I could see this being an issue. Luckily I read it in high school and remembered all of the key players so I was able to keep the momentum going without feeling lost about what to lock in as an important factor. There are more than enough supporting characters in Edge's first installment where they are able to uplift Hamlet and Juliet while having their own storylines that pushed the main one to its climax.

I had fun reading this creative retelling of two influential plays and appreciated the liberties the author took to make it her own while keeping the heart of the plays within the pages. I would have loved to see more character growth from Juliet's side - while growth was present, it was not on the same level as Hamlet's, which made the storytelling a bit uneven in my eyes. If you are looking for a fun new way to experience Shakespeare and enjoy fantasy, this upcoming duology could be right up your alley.

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The Last Storm (Rogue X Ara, #1) by J.D. Linton Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I have been on yet another romance binge and needed a fantasy to cleanse the palette before diving right back into the romance genre - I downloaded this book - and the next two - on a Stuff Your Kindle Day a while back, and I figured now was a great time to finally crack it open. I am a big fan of a book with an enemies to lovers moment, and while I would not say Rogue and Ara are true enemies, they definitely have a distain for each other in the beginning that really lights s fire for their relationship.

Unexpected age gap win for me!!! I am not even joking when I say this but I was literally kicking my feet every single time Ara and Rogue would get into an argument or Rogue would be chasing this girl down whenever she tried to escape that castle. Forever grateful for a 26-year-old female lead because I was just tormented with a 15-year-old lead in another series and I though my brain was going to fall out of my skull. That being said, Ara has been so sheltered her entire life by her father, she often comes across as naive and impulsive - she does not understand the urgency of certain situations. She definitely turns a corner at one point and finally grasps the gravity of everything that is happening around her and takes accountability in attempt to held those around her.

Rogue's harshness towards Ara is more out of how he grew up rather than a trait he desires to exhibit, and watching him try to reign it in when he is with Ara was refreshing to see - though I did enjoy when he would acknowledge his harshness with pride. Ara shows similar traits to Rogue, but more in response to his actions and her uncertainty of the future - she is essentially attempting to protect herself by building walls, but that inhibits her abilities to get to her full potential and open up to Rogue. Watching their relationship develop and the banter between them blossom from stubbornness to grown fondness and teasing was very enjoyable. Their "hate" period could have lasted a touch longer than it did to really build up that tension, but I think the author did a decent job of setting up their hate to love.

The combination of Fae and dragon shifting was certainly something that I have not seen before - it was a unique premise, and I found that the author seemed to favor the Fae portion over diving too deep into the shifting aspect of the Fae's abilities. It turned out to all be for good reason in the book, but I did keep expecting the shifting to play a larger role. It would have been great to read more about the dragon shifters from the past to get an idea of what to expect - we get glimpses, but I really wanted to see this aspect further explored. I think this series has a lot of promise and it has definitely captured my attention enough that I will be continuing on with the next installment,

For fans of The Divine and the Cursed by J.E. Reed and The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, this fantasy series takes its readers on a romantic and action-driven story as Rogue and Ara discover things about themselves, their people, and their past.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter (X), and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

Six Scorched Roses (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1.5) by Carissa Broadbent Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of The Serpent and the Wings of Night on my blog, now!

I loved how this novella was its own story and can be read as a standalone - its dark tones and romantic incorporation allows the reader to remain in the world, but explore a new relationship and see other characters develop outside of the first installment of this series. The concept of Lilith dying since the day she was born was so intriguing to me - as she has accepted her fate, the constant death surrounding her has her searching for a cure. Making a deal with a vampire is risky, but for someone who is willing to do whatever it takes, it seems like an easy choice.

When Lilith offers roses in exchange for vials of Val's blood, she does not realize that this is only the beginning of their relationship before it develops into something they both never expected. As a lover of vampire romance, it was fun to watch their "business transactions" turn into something romantic, even more so watching Lilith slowly turn from being weary of Val to falling in love. While Val and Lilith's interactions were not super long, the author certainly was able to depict their relationship deeply and how their very different lives have been affected by one another.

This novella felt much more fleshed out compared to other fantasy series novellas - it felt as though I read a complete story, and I do hope they come into play more in the main series. I would love to see more of what is in store for their relationship. Since their story is not directly related to the first book in this series, you can choose to read this or skip, but I would recommend reading it for the essence of the series. There was such a heavy yearning aspect to Val and Lilith's romance that it truly holds the reader captive until the very end.

You can add Six Scorched Roses on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on releases and publications.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter (X), and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!

The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1) by Carissa Broadbent Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Finally, and adult vampire fantasy book that actually has a solid balance of romance and fantasy - I could cry. I have had this book on my TBR for what feels like forever and it was high time that I finally picked it up and saw what all of the hype was about. Oraya was adopted by the Nightborn vampire king after being found alone and was raised among vampires as a human. In order to prove herself worthy of more than she appears, she decides to compete in the Kejari to solidify her presence and power. Along the way, she makes an unlikely ally in a vampire she wants nothing to do with, yet cannot stay away from. As she encounters attacks she never saw coming, Oraya must decide if her victory is worth the price.

Broadbrent does an excellent job is creating the most interesting dynamic between Oraya and her adopted father - I could literally feel their bond off of the page, and it was refreshing to see how he had his own way of caring for her while still being a king with a brutal past. She very much understands what he has done in order to secure his throne, and she knows that without that brutality, vampires would not be the creatures they are.

The intensity of the Kejari is tangible - I was on the edge of my seat. The pacing is essentially electric and the reader feels as though they are competing alongside the others and fighting for their lives. Oraya's determination as a human in a world of vampires is amplified by her position as the king's adopted daughter - while she is basically out-ranking everyone else, she has the illegitimacy haunting her, allowing others to speak freely towards her and doing everything in their power to take her out of the running.

Raihn... where do I even begin with this man... he is everything that Oraya cannot stand, and yet they gravitate towards one another like they belong in each other's solar systems. The banter was fantastic to witness - they both do not take anyone's B.S. and challenge each other to the fullest capacity. Raihn's vampiric nature is everything opposite to Oraya's humanistic characteristics, making their balance something so intense and complex - she cannot stand what vampires are doing to humans, and he cannot understand why she is set on competing with centuries-old vampires for the chance for a single wish.

You can feel Raihn and Oraya's struggles to come to turn with their feelings towards one another while also battling their own struggles - with attacks coming from all sides, they are forced to not only compete in Kejari, but compete for their lives and their own desires as those around them attempt to shatter the world they live in. I truly appreciated how much their actions impacted their emotions, and seeing how they decided to put their own needs above others in a number of situations.

The pacing of this book was insane at the end - I felt as though I was being swung around in the air at twenty miles per hour - they hits just kept coming. To echo what some other reviews note, a number of the plot twists were certainly able to be spotted from a mile away, but there were a few at the end that caught me off guard so much so that my jaw dropped and I had to take a minute to process what just occurred. The alliances and friendships in this book were so interesting - all were complex with layers, even when ulterior motives were at play. I cannot wait to see what is in store for these characters, and considering this series is going to be compiled of three duologies, I will have plenty to dive into.