Oh, Rebecca Robinson, welcome to the book world—where magic, drama, and questionable character-naming choices abound! And honestly? I’m not even mad about it. In her debut, Robinson gifts us a world teeming with badass witches, juicy political chaos, and a fabulous subplot of women actually supporting other women (gasp!). Forget the catty rivalries—these ladies are teaming up, and honestly, the men should just hand over the keys to the kingdom. Matriarchy in four chapters, please and thank you.

Now, let’s talk world-building. While it was rich and full of details, it occasionally felt clunky but still getting the job done. Also, there were way to many male characters with a name starting with K, so I have no idea who is who at this point.

As for the twists? I saw them coming, predictable but still entertaining. Maybe I’ve just read too much of everything, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the ride. That said, this leans heavier into fantasy than romantasy—the romance is the subtle background music to the political mayhem and witchy shenanigans.

One thing I loved was Robinson flipping the script on the tired "women tearing each other down" trope. Nope, not here. These women are out here forming alliances, solving problems, and thriving. Vassa, girl, wherever you ended up, I hope you’re still causing trouble and taking names.

All in all, I liked this one. Rebecca Robinson has me curious to see what happens next, and honestly, I’ll be ready for round two—just maybe with a cheat sheet for the K-dudes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC!
3.5 stars :)

The Serpent and the Wolf had a lot of things that I love, and it didn't feel like the same recycled romantasy stuff. There were some of the same kinds of scenes you'd expect, but the magic and the system and the world felt a bit different to me. I love that Vaasa was the one with the shadow magic -- does that make her a shadow mommy? I love how her relationship with her magic evolved. I am so curious to see where Rebecca Robinson takes this story, because it definitely ends on a cliffhanger!

I want more of Reid. He has a lot of potential and I think he is much more complex than we are seeing at this point. There was a bit of a lag for me around 75% in, but after a bit, I was back in. The side characters definitely need to be fleshed out a bit more, but I do care about them already and I think Robinson has left the space for us to see more in the upcoming book.

Overall, I do recommend this and will be picking up the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

3.25 stars

The Serpent and the Wolf by Rebecca Robinson is a captivating and atmospheric fantasy novel that weaves together intriguing characters and a compelling storyline. The world-building is rich, with vivid descriptions that transport readers into a realm where magic, power struggles, and complex relationships intertwine. The protagonists are layered and engaging, and their journey keeps you invested from start to finish. While the pacing can occasionally feel slow, the intricate plotting and emotional depth more than make up for it. Overall, it's a highly enjoyable read for fans of dark fantasy and intricate political drama. A solid 4 stars!

I LOVED this book!! Rebecca Robinson does such a great job weaving an intriguing story that readers will fall in love with like I did!! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy books!!

While this book did a lot of politicking and world building in the first like 3/4 that last 1/4 had me GOING! That ENDING! I did not think this was a series there BETTER be more after that I literally screamed WHAT! I really did enjoy this story, the magic system the world built, and definitely the characters. I am always so amazed and the characters in fantasy books, they seem so mild at first and then without even realizing it, it’s like they are so intricate and full of all this history and they have motivations for their actions. I truly enjoyed this book! If there’s a next part I can’t wait!!!!!!!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5


I really enjoyed this read! Thank you to the Author, publisher, and netgalley for the ARC for an honest review.

-Fake/forced Marriage/dating
-enemies to lovers
-slow burn
-political intrigue
-witches and magic
-arranged marriage
-brother/sister rivalry
-found family
-who did this to you

Vaasa and Reid our MCs are so lovable, and their banter is my favorite! I felt like relationships with the OTHER characters and their interactions fell kind of flat sometimes. The pacing and plot are great! I never felt overburdened or too bored during reading. The weaving of all the important parts is done well. Sometimes I was left wanting just a little MORE of the slow burn and angst, and fake dating. Emotionally I didn't find myself reacting as much as I would have liked, but I did enjoy the read. I tend to mood rate based on how the book made me feel.

If you like typical romantasy this is right up your alley. Perhaps that was why it did fall flat occasionally is at times it did feel like it was just following the 'typical romantasy checklist'. The magic was talked about a lot in the book but never really explained. The god's and goddesses were also kind of left in mystery. The book gives 'kind of' answers and explanations about most things.

I will follow the critiques up with a positive and say that the politics writing in the book was REALLY good. Easy to follow and understand. I don't usually enjoy the political intrigue in books as they are often boring and drag. This one did well.

It's *so* close to that 5-star rating for me. Also, that cliffhanger ending?!?!?! I can't wait to read the next in the series!

Rebecca, why would you do me so dirty like that?? I absolutely devoured this book. Vaasa is so hurt, she has so much pain, and a magic she doesn't understand. But she still manages to push through and fight for herself. Reid is madly in love with this fierce badass and I loved seeing all the sneaky ways he's falling for her.
The world is fascinating. The politics involved were cool but not so overwhelming that they buried the romance. I'm a sucker for the gods granting mortals magic, while also having their own agendas. I'm excited to see more of that in the next book.
The side characters are great and I'm excited to see more of them in the upcoming books. Particularly more of the witches.
Overall, this was a fabulous romantasy, but it does end on a cliffhanger. I didn't realize it was a trilogy, I thought it was a standalone. So when I stayed up much later than I should have to finish it, I was left so stressed. REBECCA! Will be following up with the series as soon as book two comes out!

Rate: 4 stars
I really enjoyed this book! I loved the MC and FC so much. I did not see the plot coming, at all! I really can not wait for book two! ( I wasn’t a fan of the cliffhanger.) it was a little slow at times, but I overall enjoyed it!

WHY HAVE I NOT SEEN MORE HYPE ABOUT THIS BOOK???? This was SUCH a good fantasy romance with the baddest of FMCs and one of my fav types of MMCs. The world was incredibly unique and I adored the magic and cannot wait for more to be revealed in the next books. Vaasa and Reid’s chemistry was sizzling hot and I definitely shipped the crap out of them the entire time. I wish Melisina was my own mom and I love her to absolute pieces. Basically, I love all the main and side characters!! The plot was enthralling and I am FERAL for the next installment. PLEASE GIVE US A PUB DATE IM LITERALLY FOAMING AT THE MOUTH!!!!!

But seriously, I need everyone and their mother to read The Serpent and the Wolf immediately. You won’t regret it!

Thank you to Saga Press, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

The Serpent and The Wolf is a thrilling and captivating romantic fantasy that combines high-stakes political intrigue with a steamy slow-burn romance.

The world building and political intrigue were definite highlights of the book for me. I’m a big fan of complex political systems and exposition about power structures. I also enjoyed following Vaasa’s journey and her resilience.

Vaasa and Reid have great chemistry with plenty of tension and banter between the characters. While marketed as a romantasy, I think it’s important to make a distinction that the romance is a subplot within this story. I personally enjoyed this balance.

Read if you enjoy:
🐍 witches and deadly magic
🐺 political intrigue
🐍 marriage of convenience
🐺 slow burn romance with some spice
🐍 fast-paced, high action plots with plenty of twists

The Serpent and The Wolf lays a strong foundation for a promising trilogy. I am looking forward to book two!

My rating: 4.5⭐️

This book was a great read! One thing I love about this book is that it gets to the action pretty early and then starts world and character-building in an easily digestible way. Vaasa and Reid were enjoyable main characters with enough tension to make the slow-burn romance in the book enjoyable. The best thing about this book was the politics, which were easy and fun to understand and added more to the plot. I cannot wait for the next book.

The Serpent and the Wolff is a great book to kick off what I am confident will be an awesome fantasy trilogy! It offers a great slow burn and characters that are developed enough to keep you turning pages. As any good fantasy should have you get some twists/turns, political power struggles and great world building. The ending is satisfying but has me waiting eagerly for the next book to come out.

I was given a copy of this book from Simon Books, and wow am I ever grateful!

The only reason this book took me more than a day or two to finish, was because I was traveling for work. When I tell you I DID NOT WANT TO PUT THIS DOWN.

I loved the characters so much, the angst, and the twists. Reid has a special place in my heart 🖤

I don’t like to annotate/mark up my books but I found myself highlighting in this book so many times! The quotes just hit so so well.

After that ending, my heart is aching and I need more.

I love an enemies to lovers where it’s not. Dark romance but that can be difficult to get right. Robinson perfected it. The relationship between the two characters is a chefs kiss. The banter is addicting.

The world was vibrant and fascinating. The twist at the end really surprised me.

The book is a page turner taking place in a witchy fantasy realm of dark Mysterious magic and even darker monsters.

When I heard this was for fans of Raven Kennedy, I was so excited. I loved the Plated Prisoner series. While it doesn't hit that mark for me, it was still a great romantasy read. It had some great tropes in it as a romance (he falls first, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage). It also had a solid amount of world building that made you feel a part of the story while not being over complicated like some high fantasy books are. I loved the characters, but I will say it was very FMC dominated. I would have loved to have more from the MMC. I am excited for the next two (I believe I read its a trilogy.)

Thank you for the eARC! This was a solid fantasy with romance subplot read for me, 3.5 stars. I liked it as a debut! It centers on an FMC is forced to marry a Prince from their rival kingdom. There is a lot of world building to set up the magic system and dynamics for the story. The plot really focuses a lot on the political intrigue happening between the kingdoms. The romance is more of slow burn as the FMC develops as a character and decides whether to let the MMC (Reid) in. It took a little to get into the story but it definitely got more interesting as I continued through. I did want a little more from the relationship and plot but felt like this set up a foundation for the next book and am definitely interested in continuing the series.

Oh, this was a fun one! I thought it had excellent, concise world building and a fast-paced plot. There was enough action to keep the reader interested but not so much that I was sick of fighting by the end of it. I loved that the reader is dropped right into the story and that first chapter really hooked me.

I wish the romance was a little more fully developed but I really liked both main characters and i can’t wait to read the next book!

5⭐/3🌶️

I really loved this first book in the Dark Inheritance Trilogy!

The author throws both the FMC and the MMC at the very beginning and the ball just keep rolling from there. The pacing is really good and I never felt that there was a lull in the story.

I really liked both Vaasa and Reid (He definitely falls first) and their growth throughout the story as they learn from each other and bond is pretty great.

The found family aspect of this is amazing and that end was jaw dropping! I can't wait for book two!

This is one of if not THE best fantasy I read in 2024. This book is heavy on the politics and magical system and the romance is very slow burning but SO WORTH IT.

A refreshing addition to the romantasy world. This book was more then just a shallow love story with some magic. The fmc enters an arranged marriage, leaving a cold family to live in a place of warmth and companionship. The story featured heavy, in depth world building. It also had a surprising focus on political struggles and economic strife. Add to that a great enemies to lovers trope and it just rounded the whole thing out into a riveting read. The magic and lore became surprising complicated and further captured my interest. One of my favorite reads this year. There is a cliffhanger, so I desperately await book 2.