THAT EPILOGUE!!!!!
This was an absolutely fantastic magical YA fantasy!!!! (EXTREME TW if you are an animal lover...)
Mancella has been through so much at the hands of her father all to be named his second and to obtain power under the pretense of "peace" and "protecting the people from impending war" that is a constant threat. In order to obtain her power, she must do unspeakable and horrifyingly violent acts to innocent creatures to obtain their power and drawn them within her. This is an absolutely traumatizing experience for Mancella and as much as she grows to love her animal "companions", she is tormented by what she has done. When plans are put into motion that threaten the realm and her father, the Prime's, position--she teams up with unlikely allies who seem to be part of a resistance movement to ensure peace, something she wants more than anything, and will ensure she can stop using her powers in such a traumatic way.
This book is so hauntingly epic. On one hand, you have a very dark magic system that is violent and traumatizing and there is something to be said about that in a YA fantasy. The characters, however are so cleverly written that you can really feel their emotions, the turmoil, grief, anguish at the way their powers are used and the desperation to find an alternative route to peace. There is great commentary in this book about man's duplicity and the manipulitive way those in power abuse those who don't have it(and how those who don't have it manipulate others so they can obtain it).
It was a really wonderful book, despite being rather sad at times. Also, the romance is SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW Burn.
**Side note: If you get the chance to listen to this on audio, the narration is so well done and the emotion is very clear in the characters/actor's voices.

3.5 stars from me ... I loved the idea of Mancella being able to obtain the souls of the the animals she has beaten in battle. She tries to gain all the magic needed to help strengthen herself for her kingdom. Unfortunately her father is the one who forces her to engage in these battles with Mancella not wanting to. I really enjoyed Silver in this story . I loved his loyalty to his friends. There were a few twists . Overall it was a good story. If you enjoy a fantasy with some young love , battles, and an unexpected ending...check it out !!

Thank u to netgalley for allowing me to read this story .

3.5/5 ⭐️
*spoiler free*

I thought that this was a good YA Romantasy debut by D.L. Taylor! This is the first book in a duology. The world building was easy to follow, and the magic system is unique and interesting. Mancella (the FMC) has the ability to raise animals from the dead - but it comes at a traumatizing cost. My heart HURT for her, and on multiple occasions my eyes got misty when she was describing her magic. The opening chapter alone is heavy. 😭

I felt that the love interest and MMC, Silver, could have had more back story and character building done - a little ‘oomph’ to take him to the next level. Especially since you get his POV every other chapter. But, I still enjoyed his dynamic with Mancella. My only qualm with them is that their first interaction felt rushed and off pace.

Dialogue between characters felt very juvenile at times (which, granted that the main characters are like 16-18 it makes sense). The plot was still captivating though, so I didn’t get too hung up on it - a comparison would be like HP or Percy Jackson.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and zoomed through the book in a couple days. The plot kept me intrigued and wanting to know what was going to happen next. This will be released in February 2025, so keep an eye out!

Thank you to Macmillan Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide my honest feedback 💕

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC. I enjoyed the plot and concept of this book. However I would've enjoyed more elements of fantasy and romance. I will be ordering this into my store for other to enjoy, however I wish it included more fantasy and qorldbuilding elements.

4.5 stars rounded up

A page-turner of a YA romantasy with deception, betrayal, family trauma, high stakes, and surprising twists! This was a very pleasant surprise and the audio narration was EXCELLENT! The performances really heightened the experience for me.

Animal lovers be aware- the magic of the main character relies on her being forced to kill them in order to gain power. She doesn't want to and is being forced by her father, but some scenes are difficult to read.

Mancella is the powerful heir to the throne, but people don't know that behind the vicious facade is a hurting and abused young woman. And at the start of the story, she isn't aware of how oppressive her father's policies are on the people they govern.

Silver is a thief and con artist tasked with gaining Mance's trust for specific reasons. But he finds that she isn't the monster he thought she was. And sparks begin to fly between the two of them...

This was a gripping narrative with high stakes and I was genuinely scared for the characters at points. The ending is wild and I need to know what happens next! This is a fantastic debut and I look forward to seeing more from the author. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

What a beautifully written novel about hope, love, loss, betrayal and courage! I was surprised by how much I loved this story, and the number of times I welled up with tears for some of the things the heroine endured. The world building was interesting - the author didn't dwell too much or go to deeply on the history of the realms, sticking instead to the current situations and turmoil. Plot aside, the author is a fantastic writer- prose-like at times, but not too frivolous or lost in detail. Overall I was drawn in by the elements of magic, the strengths and weaknesses across the different classes of people, and the faint love story that built up slowly in the background. It is definitely set up as a series, and I'm excited to see where this author takes the story from here.
*Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for the ARC! This really is a great one.

Mancella can’t “bury her beasts” because when she kills an animal, they become part of her. Torn with guilt, she finds an unlikely friend in a charming street thief named Silver who is impersonating a palace servant. What she doesn’t know is that Silver is working for Guerre and desperate to help his two friends. As the two grow closer together they must decide which secrets to share and which ones to bury.

Lots of exciting twists as well as the twisted magic! The romance simmers at a slow burn until the exciting climax. The conclusion is satisfying, but there’s a huge surprise in the cliffhanger to get ready for book two of the duology. A great readalike for Tricia Levenseller’s books!

This book was a nice romantasy. The characters were well written and the plot was amazing! There were a lot of twists and turns that got me hooked into the story and I couldn't stop reading. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book!

One thing I can say is that Mancella’s father was easily my most hated character in the book! Mancella gave me dark Snow White vibes (because of the animal thing) while Silver was giving Flynn Ryder vibes. I mist have had disney in the brain while reading this. All in all it was an engaging story that kept my attention until the end.

This is a true enemy to lovers fantasy romance and I enjoyed how the author developed the arcs between the MCs. The shocks and the twists and turns kept me guessing from start to end and I found myself intrigued as to what would happen. The world development was also really well done and I found myself needing more after finishing.

Such a good read! Enemies to lovers at its finest, with a hint of tragedy and destruction thrown in.

Near-perfect YA fantasy. The world building made my jaw DROP multiple times--like Taylor has some access to a Mary Poppins' bag of brilliant ideas I've never read before. The emotional arcs were gutting while still maintaining a classic YA fantasy feel. Every single relationship felt real, from the ones where I wanted to punch the other person in the face to the ones where I wanted to wrap everyone up in bubble wrap and feed them some of Rooftop's cinnamon rolls. Gently. And with tea.

I cannot overstate how much I loved this book. The ending made me CRY. The emotional catharsis was so HONEST. Not many YA authors are able to hit that magic blend of authenticity, adventure, world building, and character and Taylor did it in this book. Easy five stars.

A satisfyingly feral read.

The plot twists were twisting!
The tension between the characters and world building was so fantastical and immersive that I kept reading with no page left unturned or confusion about where I was with the story. Everything weaved together in a satisfying conclusion and HOW ABOUT THAT EPILOGUE?!?! The animals being the magic Mancella absorbs is such a clever power and to have her be this badass yet soft MC was even better paired with Silver. Well done!

I’ve read a lot of teen fantasy, and this was fantastic! Really well written, with wonderful characters and a great plot line. I’m only sorry that it’s an advanced reader copy which means the sequel won’t come out for a while!
I’ll be very surprised if this isn’t a best seller.

This story is an enthralling fantasy work for those who enjoy fantasy with strong political and moral undertones, featuring complex characters with deep internal conflicts. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing the DRC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.