This book is out tomorrow and it’s an excellent romantasy!!

This book has:
* Unique magic system/ witches
* Great political intrigues
* Arrange marriage trope (loved it)
* Slow burn 🔥
* Enemies to lovers
* Bad ass strong female character

I loved Vaasa and Reid’s relationships, and both of them as characters. Vaasa is fierce, cunning, and strong-minded. Reid is protective, patient, and reliable. And they make a perfect power couple! This is the first book in the trilogy and I need a second book sooooon to find out what’s going to happen with them!! ASAP!

This romantasy achieved a remarkable balance between world-building, romance, and political intrigue, making it a perfect fit for my taste! 😝🔥

Thank you so much @sagapressbooks for the opportunity to read early copy! And congratulations to @rrobinsonwrites on tomorrow’s release! Can’t wait to continue the series!💜🔥💜

#sagapressbooks #SagaSaysCrew #romantasy #theserpentandthewolf #rebeccarobinson #simonandshuster

I loved this book!
It had all the best tropes: forced proximity, arranged marriage, enemies to lover, slow burn.
Vassa is a complex character that you grow to love.
The world building is great-you get completely engrossed in the story. The book has just the right balance of romance, magic, and fantasy politics.
This book is perfect for fans of the darkness within us.
Thank you for this ARC.

Thank you to Saga Press and Rebecca Robinson for this ARC.

Holy hell, Batman…this is prob one of the best romantasy books I’ve read all year. As soon as I finished, I was googling to see how I could get my grubby hands on book two 🤣 If you like fantasy, arranged marriages, badass FMCs, and the definition of female rage…read THIS book.

🐺What did you love the most?
Vassa is forced to marry Reid, the leader of a competing territory, by her scheming, evil brother right after the death of her parents. And that’s only in chapter one. The amount of action, intrigue, worldbuilding, and witchy vibes packed into this debut book made my toes curl in delight. This is how you write romantasy. The tropes were balanced out by the actual plot, a magic system that made SENSE, and some jaw-dropping twists that left me hanging on an epic cliffhanger.

🐺What to expect:
🐍Witty banter
🐍Arranged marriage
🐍He falls first
🐍He will burn the world for her
🐍Political intrigue
🐍Witch covens

🔥Steam level: open-door romance

🐺How was the romance?
First, this is more of a fantasy book with a romance subplot, so if you are expecting heavy spice, this book won’t meet your expectations. However, the chemistry between Reid and Vassa is hot, and it does pay off before the end of the book.

🐺Do you recommend this book?
The tension, the scheming, and magic… it worked for me. I am seriously hoping we get a dual POV for book two, as I think it would be a more well-rounded story. Make sure this book is on your TBR; I promise you won’t regret it.

4.75/5

Absolutely breathtaking. This book made me feel ALL the feels. From chapter one with pulling a dagger on her new husband and escaping into the world, I KNEW I was hooked. The found family, political intrigue, the scheming, and the sizzling romance was written so GOOD. The political aspect wasn’t boring at all, I enjoyed reading how they can navigate it all working around schemes with more schemes. Chapter 8 made me CRY, my gosh. Vaasa is a complex character that deserves all the love and goodness in the world, even if she doesn’t believe she’s worthy of it. The feminine RAGE, was everything it should be. I wanted to rave and rant with her. The romance didn’t overtake the story but it added so much more to it. Reid 😮‍💨😮‍💨 my book boyfriend forever. His strength didn’t overtake shadow Vaasa’s and when he says my wife, my consort? AHH! Screaming and kicking my feet. The ending? Made me want to throw the book, because the cliffhanger was villainous. I look forward to 2025 and one of those reasons is hoping for book 2 expeditiously!

i don’t have much to say about this book so I’ll keep the review short. both the main characters Vaasa and Reid are flat and in turn, so is the romance. the writing is kind of clunky and the world building leans towards info dumping. i couldn’t even tell you how the magic works or why it exists, i spent a lot of the book kinda confused honestly. i did appreciate that the relationship between Vaasa and Reid was a true slow burn, i just didn’t connect to anything goin on like i hoped to. there’s also an element of found family that’s always nice to see for me since that’s one of my fav tropes. one thing i will say is that the ending was kind of interesting though and my only real hope is that the structure of the story has some very needed improvement if there is going to be a sequel cause i really do believe there’s potential here. i don’t think this is a bad book, just underwhelming.

Serpent and the Wolf by Rebecca Robinson Out tomorrow - 11/19/24

World building, political intrigue, magic system of witches, and so much more! I loved the slow burn and enemies to lovers is my absolute favorite trope. Even the arranged marriage (not usually a favorite of mine) was well done in my opinion.

I loved both MCs. Vaasa and Reid have fantastic chemistry and banter but the romance is definitely a subplot. It really has more of a focus on the machinations of family and headmen vying for power.

Vaasa had more depth in this first book in the series and I am looking forward to more of her strength and plotting. She inherits a strong magic after the death of her mother, and it is a race to control it before it controls her. I loved Reid but I felt he didn’t get as much attention as Vaasa. I believe he will be more of a focus in the sequel.

This is a fantastic debut novel. Robinson also built great characters that I want to see again in the series- the witch covens, the warriors and the headmen and consorts. Theresa final plot twist was a good one that I didn’t see coming and can’t wait to get back to this world soon!

4.75 stars

Okay this is absolutely fabulous! You get political rivals, a little found family, and war. I mean what else could I want. I am obsessed with the banter between Vaasa and Reid, he is so obsessed with her from the start and is constantly surprised by her and she like hates him. It's giving very grumpy sunshine. Like who within the first 20 pages writes that the main character is gonna try to kill her husband, flee and change her name and disappear, like I am living for that. I also loved seeing Vaasa vulnerability anytime someone showed her kindness because she wasn't used to it. Seeing her navigate and learning how to accept help and accept others into her life was so sad and yet so endearing because it felt so real. I also enjoy Vaasa's vulnerability over her power because in so many books people just accept their power, but she is genuinely terrified and wants it go that is also very different from the norm in other books and I find that refreshing, I think this book series is gonna be a hit. If you like Thea Guanzon you will looovvvveeee this book just like I did.

I really wanted to love this, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. The MMC felt very one dimensional. I also didn’t love how the book started. It felt like there was a chapter missing in the beginning, because you get thrown right in to the action. I think more context would’ve helped the pacing in the beginning.

I have been provided with a review copy of The Serpent and the Wolf from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Enemies and lovers and one bed trope 🙂‍↕️ say less. I didn’t have any expectations for this book when I got it as an ARC but it was so entertaining and really good with the world building. My only struggle bow is I have to wait for book 2 since this one released recently. 🙂‍↔️

The Serpent and the Wolf is a debut romantasy. It’s filled with magic, slow-burn romance, kingdoms, politics, and war. Vaasa is a very strong, quick-witted, determined fmc while Reid is a strong, powerful, cinnamon roll mmc. It was a slow-burn romance but the chemistry and tension between them was like waiting for fireworks to go off and once they do, it’s a beautiful sight to see. The story building took a lot to comprehend and absorb, it did get confusing in some parts. Towards the end is when the story started getting action packed. I think a map of the kingdoms and to show who was in what kingdom would’ve helped me be more into the story. I do look forward to continue reading the next books because I need to know what happens next!
Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*ARC REVIEW*
Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy.

This book….how do I even put into words, this book. It was delectable, slow burn, enthralling. The world that this artist paints is beautiful.
A world full of magic.

-forced marriage
-enemies to friends
-friends to lovers

This is every romantasy readers dream. I was hooked from page one and it didn’t let me down the whole way. I am a sucker for character growth and I really felt that Vaasa developed so well but also in a way that felt realistic and made sense. Reid was the perfect pining and self confident man for this story. Will be impatiently waiting for book 2!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was an absolutely amazing debut romantasy! First of all, THE WORLD BUILDING! Rebecca Robinson built a robust world, with a unique magic and political system (which is so tricky to pull off)!

The relationships and tension were amazing. Reid is a top tier book boyfriend and Vaasa is the perfect mix of smart and strong (with just the right amount of female rage!)

No spoilers, but that ending!! The last 100 pages felt like an SJM novel with all the action and twists and turns (the highest of compliments)! The way I need this sequel immediately!

Read if you like:
- Marriage of Convenience/Arranged Marriage
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- He Falls First
- Witches
- Protective MMC
- Political Intrigue

Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Press for the advance reader copy!

Was thankful to have received an ARC of this book when I saw so many people whose opinions I value discuss it. And upon finishing it, I can see why it was discussed to highly.
Now, I am not sure if it was just a me thing, but I struggled to connect with Vaasa and Reid as individuals and then as a couple. Because of this, getting into the story was difficult for me and I almost ended up DNF'ing it at 25%. It was at 28% that I switched mental gears and tried focusing more on the plot and the political intrigue and magic system of it all and absolutely fell in love. Now since I am a mood reader, it 100% could have been my brain just wasn't in the mood for romance and I didn't get that, so I take ownership of that because I absolutely LOVED everything else about the book. What an absolutely amazing debut book and I hope the author is proud!!

Oh my goodness! This was just what I was looking for, in wanting a small break from Romantasy. It was a really good political fantasy with romance still in it but not the driving factor. I really enjoyed Vaasa as the FMC and she definitely could hold her own in the political landscape she was dropped into. And man Reid is one patient loving MMC:) the banter between the two of them was so much fun! And when we got spice we got spice! This book had sooooo many layers to it and I can’t wait to dive into the second book! I can’t even imagine where it is going but super excited to be along for the ride! Thanks NetGalley and saga press for the early release read of this book:) did not disappoint!

This book moved too quickly and too slowly at the same time, and I know that’s confusing but it’s the only way I can explain it.

4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this fast-paced romantasy. This had a lot of my favorite tropes and they were all done really well. The Serpent and the Wolf starts off with a bang, throwing us right into the action. Or should I say starts off with a cut? Slice? You get the point, knife to throat scene in the first chapter. The main character has been forced to marry a foreign ruler but she doesn’t plan to stay in this marriage longer than one night. She ties him to the bed, flees to freedom, and when she thinks she’s safe, he finds her anyways. She reluctantly allies with him, agreeing to stay fake married to her enemy, to keep up appearances for his sake, and he can help her with her out of control magic. The banter had me smiling from ear to ear and the chemistry from off the charts from the very beginning. He is so protective and utterly obsessed with her. If you love the “my wife” trope, you’re gonna love this book. This had the perfect balance of plot and romance and after that explosive ending, I’m really looking forward to the next one.

Fantasy books that are heavy on the political intrigue really get me and The Serpent and the Wolf does this on a level that had me giggling and kicking my feet!! I can’t wait to have my physical copy (praying for a map) so I can pick up on extra details when I definitely reread this down the road. This book has been sold as a romantasy but I feel like the romance was a beautiful background piece to the rest of the story not the primary feature.

Something that I really loved about this too was that the FMC (Vaasa, my Queen ✨) had the shadow powers and she was the broody one in the arranged marriage. I absolutely loved watching how she and Reid were a partnership first, how Vaasa was able to be the political piece/leader that Reid needed. They were such a good pairing and the slow burn really was delightful from start to finish.

The magic system was also set up really well and I loved how we learned alongside Vaasa about the depth of her power. It was a mix of familial and god-given power which was a really cool way to build it up. And I can’t wait to explore more of the other covens in the later books, especially with the implications of the ending of this one!!

Thank you again to @sagapressbooks for the eARC of one of my new favorites, definitely a top contender for my book of the year!! The Serpent and the Wolf is out Nov 19 and I highly recommend checking it out! 🐍🐺

5 ⭐️ read! The book gods have done it again and blessed me with another 5 ⭐️ read!

The slow burn! 🔥 🤌🏽😏
MMC falling first!
Magic
Witch covens
Found Family


Then ending?! 😱 I knew something was coming but I didn’t know it was that. So excited to see where book 2 goes and hoping to see more from the MMC since the story definitely mainly follows the FMC.

It’s giving all your fav reads wrapped into one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the digital arc copy of this book!