This cover really drew me in! I am always on the lookout for a new fantasy series to obsess over, and this is up there! It had a good mix of Robin Hood and King Arthur and I was drawn in from the very beginning, Im excited for the next installment and see where it takes us!

Unique story line. Elves. Magic, prophecy so many things that hook you in. I love wolfbear sooo much.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this e-arc.
At soon spot this felt like it was dragging on and it felt almost unfinishable.

Betrayal and Banditry is a magical and quick read with a unique and interesting magic system and the cliffhanger had me completely shocked. The plot had me engaged and interested the entire time.

This was a fun first book in the series! I felt like the prologue really captured the readers attention and I immediately wanted to know more about the characters and their relationship. Once we got into the story it was a little slow setting up the world and magic system. And I found myself getting confused by some of the new characters that were introduced (especially the brothers). I wish there was more detail about some of the side charters so I could tell them apart.

I did love both of our main charters! It was refreshing that Elspeth wasn’t your typical mc. She was a little softer around the edges and a little sheltered. But I loved that she stepped up to help the people. I also really enjoyed the duel POVs. I thought it was a great way to get to see when Elspeth and Otello first interact from both perspectives.

Overall I really liked this story and I cant wait to see what happens with these characters!

I was slightly confused at the beginning as the prologue starts with them being betrothed and then it just switches to them in a completely different setting. It's a dual POV book, which sometimes had me going back to the chapter title to check whose POV it was. All in all it was a fun read, light and fast. I'm very curious to see how the rest of the story unfolds as this is the first installment. I would have loved to know more about the prologue scene and the events surrounding it. I would recommend it to a reader looking for a light YA fantasy book with elves, a courageous but naive MMC and a loyal, family oriented FMC.

This book is a perfect for YA fans that are looking for a twist on a Robin hood retailing. I enjoyed how strong of a character our FMC, Elspeth is and how she takes on the world. Unfortunately it was a bit slow to start of and I wish that there was a bit more world building as I did find it a bit confusing at parts however the cliff-hanger at the end makes me want to read the next book.

Lady Elspeth is a she-elf who drew the attention of the Sacred Prince, Otello. However, that's not what Otello's father wants and Lady Elspeth is dragged away.

Following this, a few years later, the kingdom starts killing elves. Her family is a victim to this and Elspeth and her cousin, Irwin, are the only ones to escape. They run off to the forest and eventually others start hearing about them. Eager to join them, they create a group of fighters. People from the kingdom begin calling them the Bandit King.

Irwin eventually has a vision of the Emperor being murdered and two possible outcomes: one where the Sacred Prince perishes and one where he survives. Elspeth is eager to save the Prince, but will she be too late?

I liked this book, but it wasn't my favorite. I think this book might be geared more for younger kids, but it was entertaining! I liked the struggle between Otello and Elspeth to figure out who the other was. I liked how the book was told through both Otello and Lady Elspeth's point of view, but at the same time didn't come off as repetitive.

Thank you for providing this book in exchange for my honest review. This was a new take on the classic story of Robin Hood, but this one is better because… elves. Dual POV added to the fluidity of the story. Closed door spice for those who like things more mild. Overall an easy fun read, I just wished the plot had more depth to really hook you in but still very enjoyable!

So this was a very light YA fantasy novel. It was an easy read and I genuinely enjoyed that it’s centered around the Elvish vs the usual vampires or werewolves. I love those as well, but this is a nice fresh take. I truly enjoy books where the main character(s) is deeply rooted in their culture, and their familial ties. I love that that is how we are introduced to Elspeth and that she continuously displays that whether it be in her thoughts or actions.
Otello is the prince and honestly he gave me Prince Eric vibes. I am really looking forward to seeing his character development in the next book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I do not want to give out any spoilers. Just want to point out that if you’re looking for an easy fantasy read this is the one.

Robin Hood meets fantasy Constantinople- with elves!
This was a fast-paced, exciting read that does an excellent job of balancing worldbuilding, plot, and character development. The story's arc felt satisfying but still left me eager for the second book, which is releasing now on Kindle Vella. I'm especially interested to see how the events of the prologue play into the overall plot!

My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Disclaimer: I received a review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

General Thoughts: I love Robin Hood-like retellings, and I like them even better when "Robin Hood" is a woman. So when I saw this was a romantasy novel with strong Robin Hood vibes, I was sold. I went in with high expectations accordingly, and it didn't disappoint. The prologue presented a lot of mysteries that still haven't been answered fully yet, so I'm very anxious to see what happens in the sequel that releases next year. Jes has created compelling characters and an interesting world.

I loved both Otello and Elspeth. This book is clearly building up for book one and two, but it didn't feel like a set-up novel at all. Rather, this one was interesting in and of itself. If you like romantasy, then be sure to check this one out.

Steam Meter: 💞 Closed door, sweet, clean.

Romantic Tropes
-romantasy
-high fantasy
-robin hood retelling
-dual POV

You can read more of my reviews at mylastromance.com. You can also find me on Insta @mylastromancenovel.

This book was missing depth for me. Something about it just didn't quite come together for me in the writing. I liked the characters and the world, and found the plot entertaining, but I felt like the pages just flew by without me being hooked in. I really wanted more from this and wanted to like it, but it just was missing something for me

The adventure, suspense, and magic system in this story was captivating. I really enjoyed the Robin Hood retelling thrown in here. I think it gave the story a fun dimension. The miscommunication as both the prince and Bandit Queen lied about who they were was entertaining and kept me guessing about what was going to happen next.

The pacing of everything was quick. I wish there had been more explanation of the magic system and more day in the life of Elspeth in the forest. Other than that the pacing was great for this action packed book.

The magic system was interesting too, if not a little confusing between Kin and Heritage magic. Wish there could have been some concrete things about each to learn about, it felt just a tiny bit vague. Not in a bad way, as the vagueness gave it a bit of a whimsical feeling. But, that being said, there were moments where I was like okay that's cool that the magic did that but how did it do that and why?


Overall a great read! I enjoyed the action, the premise, and where the story left off. Very curious to read the next book and to see what happens next!

I really liked this book, kinda stopped my reading slump. Loved the dual POV. It's a little different than the fantasy books I've read but still good. It's fun and easy read I practically read it in one day. Since this one ends on a cliffhanger I am interested in reading the next one.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I requested it based on the premise, which absolutely intrigued me. A noble elf lady loses her lands, turning to vigilante justice to seek her revenge crossing paths with the prince whose father betrayed her trust. Little does she know, he's her betrothed but scheming members of court and the magical realm will do anything to keep them apart.

From the prologue, the writing came across stilted and abrupt. The reader is carried across scenes and time without clarity or insight into just how much time has passed. The events of the collective story only seem to take part over a few weeks at most, but the amount of activity alluded to and completed would fill months (see the bandit's escapades and antics).

My biggest disappointment was the lack of creativity or originality across elements of the book. In any fantasy world building, there's an expectation of a magical system, society's expectations and typically a religious system as well. It's not unheard of or unwelcome to see allusions to or elements of existing fantasy world's or even real life to appear in fiction, but it is expected that it's not copy/paste. The religious system seems blatantly Christian, perhaps even Catholic. A scene from the Prologue and one from the end of the book when Otello visits a chapel particularly come to mind. Additionally, the magical system seems very unspecific and Kin magic acts as a catch all type of magic that just allows for whatever the scene happens to need such as swapping two people between wherever they are to allow for a kind of transport or to heal someone or to force a vision to move the plot. This author's version of Polyjuice potion even makes an appearance and is the catalyst for much of the second half.

Characters are introduced for seemingly no reason and not given the courtesy of a developed storyline (at least not yet; perhaps in later novels?). These characters essentially become token fantasy characters that bring nothing to the storyline at all but another name (Here's looking at you Wolfbear).

There was just a lot going on in this story and I don't know that there really needed to be. Perhaps it was a tool to set up further books, but I think this story could have benefitted from cutting some elements to make it feel less rushed and chaotic OR have spent more time in those elements to build them up. The early scenes felt like quick flash fiction peeks into the bandit gang almost like a weekly comic strip about them.

Overall, I was disappointed in this first in the series novel. I don't foresee reading further books in the series, but you never know. I don't know that I could recommend it to someone to run out and buy, but if someone just needs a read to pass the time, they could do much worse.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a bit slow to start. It was intricate and trying to set up for the rest of the series. It took awhile to understand this world and system of magic and I'm hoping that in the next book that it goes more into the King Magic thing because I don't totally get it.
I'm interested in finding out more about the main couple. I plan to keep reading and I hope the series will get better as it continues on

This story took me a long time to really start to get into. I felt like the women were being very sexualized for a YA novel. Not a fan of this book. It lacked world building and character development. Not my thing.

3.5 Stars ⭐️

Overall this book was not bad, and I did find myself really getting into it after our two main characters' stories collided. I really did love the secret identities part of the story, and it made for a very interesting plot and just generally a lot of fun. This was a very fast read, but where my first and main criticism comes in is that it was confusing at times.

I think the beginning was really messy and confusing, and it quite frankly did put me off a little. Thankfully it did redeem itself further in, but for other readers who dnf books a bit easier than it may be very offputting. I feel like it really just threw you into the book a little bit after where the plot actually started, and it felt like a very confusing game of catch-up. Plus I am not the biggest fan of instant love, and that was heavily where the book started off at. Plus it was sometimes hard to follow along with the doppelganger part of the book, which I think was purposeful at times but it did make it difficult to understand.

Pushing past the first part of the story though, and I really did enjoy it. There was a lot of perfectly placed humor, banter, and action that really got the book rolling and helped me get into it. The ending was also super fun and really helped lead the excitement into the next installment of this series.

Thank you for allowing me to have a chance to read this book, I highly appreciate it and wish you the best of luck.

<b> <I> Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of “Betrayal & Banditary” by Jes Drew in exchange for an honest review. All of the following opinions are formulated on my own. Any quotes in this review should be cross-referenced with the final copy for any possible edits.</I> </b>

<b> My review: </b>
Betrayal and Banditry is a quick read about Elspeth, a disgrabed noblewoman elf, and Otello, the mortal Sacred Prince. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the writing style in this novel. I did not enjoy how quickly the reader is thrown into the story with no background or build up... As I read this, I was falling asleep, not due to the book though. I don't think it would be something to stay up late at night and read. If this novel were a bit more polished, the characters given depth, and maybe a few other edits I would have really enjoyed it. The cover is stunning though. Good job to whoever to designed it!