Firstly, thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

This book has potential but it sadly missed the mark for me. Let's start with the positives - I like the concept (very Robinhood in the fantasy elvish realm), there were a lot of good characterization with the main characters and secondary characters. There is Dual POVs in this, which makes a huge difference when you are writing a romance novel, better yet in a fantasy romance, it's a game changer. There is the Enemies to Lovers element between the MCs Othello and Elspeth. Although, I will be stating a few cringey remarks about this, it wasn't that bad enough for me to not finish the book. There was enough action, that kept me hoping that it would get better. (It actually does a bit towards the 70% mark as the plot starts to unravel). Oh and the book cover is gorgeous.

Now, let's get to the not so seemingly agreeable parts of the book. This seemed underdeveloped and rushed.

1) The opportunity for world building could've been massive but the author failed to provide its readers with just that - the lack of background story - which is where it missed the mark the most. We needed more history between Othello and his Kin; Between Elspeth and her Kin; Between how the realm was built; how it came to the world it is now (this was touched on VERY BRIEFLY). The author could've expounded on this and made the readers understand this who fantasy universe that she created.

2) There was a lack in character development from the MCs.

3) There were a lot of good secondary characters that could've been developed here as well. For example, with Irwin - besides knowing that his mother was killed, he is Elspeth's cousin, an alchemist, and has a little crush on Meredith - we get nothing else. Same for Heinrich - not until the last 15% of the book did it get revealed that he was Otello's half brother, but she could've built up to that and shared the history of the men as they grew up together.

4) She could have used dual timelines in this to build the story up. This book is only 200 pages. Even Romcom's have twice as much. There was a sheer lack of information about every aspect in this book.

Betrayal & Banditry is a fun first book in the series. Elspeth is an elf who had her home taken away from her because of hatred towards elves. Otello is a prince who is trying to make up for crimes against the elves. They were in love and to be married until fate tore them apart, making them forget each other. Now they find themselves drawn back to each other as Elspeth becomes the Bandit Queen getting vengeance for what was done to her. Now she must help Otello save his throne and the country.

I feel the characters could have been developed more; however, I feel the intention is to have them develop through the course of the series so that doesn’t bother me currently. I thought the plot started out a bit slow and some of the language pulled me out of the story. As the story progressed, I couldn’t put it down and the issue I had with the language went away. I’m excited to read the sequel once published. I’d give the book 3.5 stars and look forward to the next.

Thank you Net Galley and the publishing company for sharing this with me for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

There were some things to like about this one, but it also left me feeling a bit weird at the end.

What I liked:
- The general pace. It was quite action packed and not much of it was slow, which I like.
- The forbidden love trope. Yep, star-crossed lovers got me.

Things I didn’t love:
- The constant confusion about who’s POV I was reading from
- The identity swap VIT in the middle…literally had no idea who anyone was. Was that the point? Or am I the only one who was confused?
- I just don’t think (apart from the Narnia series) that modern fantasy themes and Christian themes go well together. It left me kind of weirded out…and I’m a Christian myself.

This book was a bit better than okay, but I’m not sure who I’d recommend it to.

I didn’t know what was happening 16% in and I didn’t care to continue it. The characters weren’t immediately likable so I didnt care about the world building or the conflict

i picked this due to the cover being very inviting and looked interesting and i wasnt disappointed, this book was really well written and the plot behind it was great. drawn in by the cover but the inside was everything and more. worth the read and would recommend this book to my fellow book lovers.

I really love the cover! The writing style is great and the plot is top notch. I really loved all of the characters. It was just missing the romance for me but other than that it was a great read. And a cliffhanger? Goodness, really can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

DNF. I had to give up on this one because of the writing style. It writes like a year 10 homework and it was just so painful to read. I skipped through the book and the characters - except the male protagonist - seems interesting, story had potential, just really bad execution.

And please stop making the male protagonist "perfect". he was so one dimensional I skipped most of his chapters.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley (thank you!), and this is my honest review.

Firstly thankyou to NetGalley for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25/5 Stars.

So going into this book I knew I was going to like it being one of my favourite genre's of fantasy romance but this book had me gripped from page 1. The banter and miscommunication between Elspeth and Otello is amazing and the family dynamic with the side characters for both of them are really cute and wholesome, WolfBear is awesome and I hope we get to see more of them in future books.

I have already recommended this book to friends and family and will continue in future and I cannot wait to read more from Jes Drew.

This book was a fantastic twist on a well known story! This book is interesting because I have not read a book based on Robin Hood with a female main character. The author throws you right into the story by introducing us to our main Elf character Elspeth, If you like action, adventure, elves, magic, and a bit of romance this book is for you. Although it did seem like there were some issues with the spelling and grammar. I wasn't a fan of the writing style but the story was still a great story.

DNF @16%

NetGalley forces a rating, but I would prefer not to rate this. I normally default to 3, but I've opted for 2 because 3 is honestly far too high, though keep in mind that I haven't managed to make it past 16%.

This is a very disjointed and confusingly written book. It seems like large swaths of information are missing. The tense changes from present to past within the same paragraph. And it's not interesting enough for me to continue the trudge.

This is where I peace out:
"I guess I contributed best by daring to go into town with my cloak hood over my head and my ears sharp to hear what news there was. When I can't bear to hear the constant bird whistles between the brothers while they hunt that I can somehow hear no matter where I wander in these woods."

This was good and highly entertaining. I enjoyed it very much. I thought that the story line was different and that the world building was good as well. I would like to read the rest in the series.
I just reviewed Betrayal & Banditry by Jes Drew. #BetrayalBanditry #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I’m going through this book so fast💨

If you’re looking for:
• YA fantasy
• Elf Magic / interesting magic system
• Secret/mistaken identity
• Robin hood inspired storyline

This book will definitely a right fit for you✨

The book is dual pov within the same time sequence, giving you the in look of the inner monologue of each characters, Elspeth and Otello.

It’s fun, entertaining and the world building is easy to digest with an interesting character and storyline. It’s a YA book with not many action but still hold on to it’s fantasy aspect with elf and mortals, cool magic and somehow kinda reminds me of the cruel prince. Maybe, because Elspeth and Otello dynamic is quite similar with Jude and Cardan in a way.

I would say, if you’re a fan of any elf/fairy/fairies/fae related story or plot, give this book a go.

On the side notes, because this book is pretty short for a fantasy book (only 200-ish pages) it might look a little bit jumble and out of place in some part, but i honestly doesn’t really mind that because it’s still fun🤩

Thank you Netgalley, Jes Drew and Publisher for this E-ARC in exchange of an honest review💫

I was initially interested in this title due its eye catching book cover which reminded me of the 'From Blood and Ash' series I'm a fan of. I was surprised to learn upon further inspection that this book is only 200 pages long. In my experience with fantasy novels I believe they are typically a little longer to give room for world building and to properly set up subsequent books.

This book drops you into the thick of things with little backstory given, this excited me as I was intrigued to learn more about the character of Elspeth and the world this story takes place in. I also liked the original take on the Robin Hood plot line.

However while the story was notably fast paced, I feel it seriously lacked world and character building which I feel a new fantasy series desperately needs to ground readers and hook them. I didn't understand what worlds I was to envision when reading and had to guess. I found myself waiting on the book to describe basic surroundings which I feel didn't come. I also could have done with more exposition on characters earlier on in the book as I couldn't relate or identify with them. While I know the characters motivations, I feel they need more justification. I get Otello doesn't agree with the Emperors actions, but why? I get they are bad and unjust but I feel additional motivation needed or again, more explanation. This could have been a great place to delve into the lore of Sitzvononne.

Similarly, Elspeth is a maiden. While she has had her life as she knows it changed forever, what makes her a fitting Bandit Queen? More backstory here including childhood training with weaponry wouldn't have gone amiss here. I just feel everything was happening too quickly and I wanted to appreciate the revelations as they happened more.

Unfortunately, I had DNF this title and made it roughly half way through. In my opinion, I feel more vivid descriptions in later books and more on the backstories of the characters would draw me in again, as I do like the premise of this series! Its fun and sweet. I have close friend who would eat this premise right up and while she might overlook the world and character building, I simply cannot. Therefore I would rate what I read a solid 2.5 (rounding up). While this clearly wasn't for me, I can see it having an audience.

Well I must say that I really enjoyed this book! It was a short yet powerful story following two main characters through their struggles and quests.

I wish there was slightly more romance in this…I felt like some of the romantic scenes were sudden and it didn’t feel like the relationship was serious yet. However it does make me very excited for the next books in the series!

It wasn’t a complicated fantasy read by any means, which is just what I needed to read at this time! I Thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this cozy fantasy.

Thank you NetGalley for making it possible for me to read this book!

This one is more of a low young adult to high middle grade novel. However, that being said I think that those aged for that level might find this hard to follow. I know I was very confused multiple times reading this with the POVs being very all over the place and never knowing who's you were in.

"We already have a plan." Irwin sets his hard gaze on me. "We rescue the Prince. He rescues the Empire."
Intriguing and unexpected. This is how I would describe this fantasy romance book!! It is the first in a series so it would be too soon to know who it will unravel but so far I can say that it more than enchanted me a bit with its stories of long lost love, forgotten by magic and always in search of one another. A kingdom almost falling down at the hands of a wizard who wants the power despite having to claim to it and a young she-elf woman who simply wants to survive and protect her kin!!!! And a wonderful albeit naive Prince who would simply want to protect those in need and the ones he loves!! Their story is one of deception and betrayal and most of all a complicated form of love that from lovers turned strangers than enemies than lovers will lead them down a path to bring them back with one another !!! Book two, I need you now !!!

I had to DNF this book at 4 pages in. I couldn’t get past how bad the writing was. It didn’t look like it was properly edited in my opinion.

I ended up dnfing it I just couldn’t get into it and I struggled to figure out the magic system. It seems like a really good premise but I just couldn’t get into it. Thank you to netgalley for providing the arc.

Loved the premise and the world building however found the book tried to fit as many tropes in as possible and all felt a little rushed.
Enjoyed the duel POVs and some interesting characters were introduced with a cliffhanger!
It’s a quick and easy fun YA read.

YA fantasy with elves, magic, mistaken identity, and an undercurrent of Robin Hood vibes. Oh and slow-burn romance – so slow that will probably be in book 2 that the romance fully develops.

The story follows two main characters (it is dual POV) – Elspeth, noblewoman turned Bandit Queen, and Otello, prince of the empire. The mistaken identity troop definitely plays into their complicated relationship, but is still amusing as the reader.

The magic system is somewhat hard to keep track of (who can do what, how and why), but for the most part it was used well to add to the characters and their story. I look forward to seeing how the series progresses.