I honestly tried but this just didn't work for me. No way on Kaley suddenly being told her Phd dissertation was on an unacceptable topic. This colored my view early on but I tried and then realized that this just wasn't one I could connect with. thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Romantasy fans might want to give it a try.

The story was interesting, the writing needed work. I was finding trouble trying to find the connection to the book and there was no real drive to the story. I do love the mix of multiple fairy tales and the mix of sci-fi into the story but I was just having trouble connecting to the story itself.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read this e-ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Retellings are always a favorite but this one fell short for me. I don't think the plot was fleshed out well.

I went into this blind (as I love to do), and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I can say when it first started I was getting kind of nervous when it had the whole space travel thing going on. While I don’t mind a scifi, they arent my preference. I also thought this was a fantasy, so I started questioning myself, but pushed on. Oh am I glad I did!! This book took an unexpected turn, and had me hooked. Of course being an avid fantasy reader we all know I adore fairytales, this book really put a fun twist on them!!! I like it. We see many fantasies that tend to follow a similar plot line, and this one went off in a completely new direction. Honestly im here for it! It was refreshing to read something that was completely different than anything Ive been reading recently.

This is a Fantasy Romance with Scifi influences. The Romance in this book is a delightful slow burn. The book has some spicy innuendos, and language but overall book remains fairly clean. The book moves at a steady pace following Kaley as she travels to what she assumes to be an isolated island with a long time Tutor, a family friend. She does all of this to help get her life back on track for college. While there she notices events that remind her of stories she heard growing up, but those were only fairytales. Fairytales aren’t real. This refreshing book is an exciting, and romantic read thats found a way to make our favorite fairytales like brand new again.

Y'all, this was a draft zero with line edits. I don't know how else to explain this. The premise is so interesting, but so much of the plot is so....lazy and underresearched?

The story basically starts with our FMC getting her PhD dissertation rejected by her advisor, saying it's all been done before and it's crap. That's....that's now how any of that works? A PhD dissertation is going to be approved by your advisor FIRST. Then there are going to be a million check-ins during the research and writing process over several years before you hand in a final draft that is ready to defend. Somehow she managed to get through the entire process without her advisor never even hearing her topic until she handed it in to be rejected? Puh-lease. THEN her whole new plan is to go to this island that no one has ever been before to get some new, never before heard stories that she can write her thesis on? That's not how research works? That's not how any of this works? WHAT?

Then not only does she really have no agency, and the entire story just happens to her, she's incredibly dumb. Especially for someone who is supposed to be getting a PhD in fairy tales. She goes to what she believes to be an island--which is actually a whole new planet--and she doesn't ask a single question when things are out of place. She sees a dragon and just says "OH COOL!" and moves on with her day? She's got an implant in her arm that keeps letting things happen to her and she doesn't ask a soul about it? I'm all for suspending disbelief, but this was just way too much and got really old, really fast.

But like I said, the premise was really interesting! I loved how classic fairy tale stories were woven into the story as call backs and helped move the plot forward. The side characters were MUCH more entertaining than the FMC, and I honestly would have preferred a story about the MMCs going off and saving the world rather than...whatever this was. It was a fast read, but boy is it a messy one.

2.75/5 ⭐️
The premise of this story was so promising. But I had a sense this was not going to be for me immediately from the prologue. Suddenly it was more sci-fi, which there was no hint of from the description. But I like sci-fi, so I kept going. Then it was setting up how the main character was literally born to be the special someone to defeat whatever the future problem was going to happen. 🤢 I hate that because then the author has to work extra hard for the character to be relatable and to give them agency. Which leads me to my next issue. The main character had no agency. The story happened to her. She didn’t happen to it. She was born special. For some “strange” reason her dissertation is rejected. She is tricked to go to this strange island. Every situation is “suggested” and she just nods and goes ok. Or she “stumbles” upon situations. There was never a moment where I connected with this character, nor cared what happened to her.
I think a big part of the problem for this story is that it felt like a draft zero. A draft zero is where authors are pretty much telling the story to themselves. Aka it’s a lot of telling with some maybe inferences of emotions and with some dialogue but it’s more like a narrative version of an outline for the author to come back and turn into more showing. To turn it into the readers experiencing the story instead of being told it. Again, this felt like a draft zero. Not only was there so much telling, but everything moved fast where the sentences felt more like an outline.
However, I think this story could’ve had potential. Besides making it into an actual story instead of this strange telling outline state its in and giving the character actual agency, I think this could’ve been an excellent middle grade. The set up and how the plot unfurled felt so much like something from a middle grade. I think some of the problems would’ve been more easily explained away with a younger main character.
In general, this was disappointing for me and I honestly had to go chapter by chapter cause I couldn’t read more than that at one time. But I think if it had been made into a middle grade and if everything was slowed down a little, turning the telling into experiencing, this could’ve been great.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

As always, thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!
Publishes January 28th!

If you were a fan of the show Once Upon a Time, this is the book for you!

All of the best fairy tales in 1 world - CHECK
Enemies to Lovers - CHECK
Political Intrigue - CHECK
Slow Burn Romance - CHECK
Witty Banter - CHECK

This book was fantastic from the first page to the last page! I will absolutely be buying this book when it releases!

This is along the lines of a science fiction book which I don’t usually read. I was enjoying the book until the very end. It ended abruptly with a huge cliff hanger that involved the main story line. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I have no idea what I was expecting going into this book, and after a little bit of confusion of “what the heck did I request to read??” I found my way… I’m not a huge sci-fi reader so I was thrown of quite a bit but I thought this story was really unique. I’m not going to say it was incredible, but I enjoyed it.

Ah, it’s always a bit difficult to start off an honest review when your honest review is less than favorable. I loved the idea of this book, but I must admit that I found myself having to DNF.

The beginning was extremely jarring as the descriptors gave the impression this was a fairy tale fantasy world, but then starts off with “aliens” and traveling through space to another planet. I honestly questioned whether I had received the correct book because I generally do not read much sci-fi and aliens are almost always a deal breaker for me. However, since I did request this arc, I felt I owed it to all involved to push forward. In light of the awareness that this is not my cup of tea content wise, I will refrain from speaking on the story itself, but rather focus on the craft.

I believe this book would greatly benefit from, at the very least, one more round of editing. For instance, very early on Kaley states she would one day live in a stone house so a wolf would be unable to blow it down, referring to the common folktale of The Three Little Pigs. Within the next 1-2 pages, Jobi references her comment but says the house of stone would be pig-proof, not wolf-proof. I know this is a very simple error —and in the great scheme of things, minor— but this is just an example of the small errors that personally took me out of the story because I questioned what I had read. The writing is also very “telling”. We commonly hear the advice of “show, don’t tell” and I feel this is an example of why that is important. The characters, the setting, it all felt very bland, flat, and unconnected. Remarkably, it somehow managed to feel like an information dump with no information.

I know there is a large amount of discourse over whether or not negative reviews, and a review at all for DNF, should be posted, so I am only sharing this review here in NetGalley. I honestly would have left the star rating off as well, however, it is required. I am sorry to say that if I had picked this book up at the store post publication, I would have given a rating of only 1-2 stars, as it currently reads.

While, ultimately, this was not a good fit for me, I do wish to extend my gratitude to all involved for allowing me the chance to read this advanced reader copy. I truly appreciate the opportunity I was provided and wish all the best of luck in the future.

Thank you so much for approving me for an arc of this book! I tried getting into it, but ended up DNFing around the 20% mark, I just do not think it is for me. I am going to rate this 3 stars because I do not want to give a low rating since I did not read enough of it to fully form an opinion. The overall subject was not what I was anticipating and the writing style was not my favorite.

I love how easy this book was to read. The pacing was good and the way it was written made it so easy to digest. I also love the fairytale aspects and how they were incorporated. I love a good slow burn romance and this book delivers! I do wish the characters had more depth and growth though.

PhD student Kaley Arens needs to find new fairy tales and folklore stories to finish her dissertation, so she agrees to go to Bellis, the home of her family friend Jobi. And while it’s definitely an island as promised, it turns out that it’s an island on a different planet 3 earth-years away. In a quest to find a lost prince, she teams up with Tanek, from the Order of Swans, and Sojee, a super-strong bodyguard. As they travel, the fairy tales that Kaley grew up with back on Earth start happening in Bellis, and Kaley has to solve them before anyone gets hurt. Meanwhile, she’s getting closer to Tanek and learning more about herself and her abilities.

This book was a really interesting mix between science fiction and fantasy, with a really interesting twist on fairy tales. I would recommend this for fans of the TV show “Once Upon a Time”. The romance itself doesn’t really pick up in this book (I can’t remember if they kiss?), it’s more focused on Kaley discovering this alien planet with fantasy creatures and (Grimm-brother-style) fairy tales. I like the book, but I still have so many questions that are left unanswered until the next, like what happened with her mother, and I still feel like I don’t quite understand the Order system. But overall, I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Deveraux book and … it’s not bad. The writing is simple and very easy to read; the characters take realistic approaches to events and their actions are dictated by logic and intelligence rather than contrivance, but it is rather bare bones. The world building is minimal, the characters are little more than outlines, leaving plenty of room for a reader to insert themselves into the adventure.

Personally, this isn’t the book for me. It’s not bad, but I wanted more than it had to offer in the way of plot, world building and character development. Kaley is the same person at the end of the book that she was at the beginning, much like Tanek. They don’t grow or change, they simply have an adventure with no need to be anything or anyone more than they already are.

If you like fairy tales and simply want a quick, comfortable read where good wins, evil loses, and nothing too terrible happens to anyone, you might consider this book. It was interesting to read a Deveraux book, and in the right mood I can see grabbing another. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me have an ARC.

After reading that this book intertwines fairytale and fantasy I decided to request this book as an advanced reader copy. I have not read any other books by this author and had read that she is a best selling author whose books can be hit or miss.
The prologue for this book completely confused me. I had a hard time getting into the first few chapters.
This book was not what I expected and while it has some fantasy elements it is not a book I would recommend to my fantasy loving friends.
The pace of the book was fast and I feel missed some important things like better world building.
I wish I had more that I liked about this book but overall it was a frustrating read for me.

I was attracted to this book from the description, however I was not able to finish the book. I got about 20% through and it just felt like the world building was not making sense to me, and like others have said, I felt that there were details and sentences missing. I just could not get past that.

I thought this book was good and I liked the juxtaposition of the modern world and the fantasy/fairy tale setting. The inclusion of the different classic fairytales with a new twist was done well and it felt very unique.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this very unique take on fairy tales, Sci-fi, and romance.
Main characters Kaley, Tarek, and Sojee are an unlikely trio on a mission to find the King's son, so that he may follow through with an arranged marriage. Of course this isn't easy and they run into several Fairy tale situations along the way. Hansel and Gretle for one which made the story all the more interesting.
Yes, the romance is very slow burn as others have mentioned, but the connection is there and it feels natural.
So, so many secrets and so much left to uncover, I am now anxiously awaiting the next novel.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing via NetGalley.

This book is a journey into a world where fairy tales meet reality, blending the magical with the unexpected. The story follows Kaley, who accompanies her lifelong friend Jobi to his homeland, only to find that Bellis is far more than the remote island she once imagined. It is an enchanting realm complete with its own monarchy, mystical rules, and people who bring legendary stories to life.

Kaley soon learns that her visit is not just a casual trip—it is intertwined with a deeper purpose. She shares an enigmatic bond with Jobi and Bellis itself, holding powers that may tip the balance in a world on the brink of upheaval. Alongside the enigmatic Tanek of the Order of Swans and her loyal bodyguard Sojee, Kaley embarks on a quest to find a missing prince. But as she traverses this spellbinding land where the familiar mingles with the bizarre, Kaley discovers that fairy-tale simplicity has no place in Bellis. Heroes and villains blur into shades of gray, and Kaley’s newfound ability to alter the stories she grew up with leads her down an unpredictable path, shaping a destiny she could never foresee.

The premise promises intrigue and an alluring blend of classic tales and original storytelling. While the imaginative world-building captivates with its rich, fairy-tale aesthetics, the story struggles to keep its momentum. The characters, despite their potential, I thought often lacked the depth needed to forge a strong connection.

The Vibes:

—sci-fi meets fantasy

—long lost princess energy

—light academia

The Basics:

When folklore expert and phD student Kaley visits Bellis, another world with whom she shares a mysterious connection, she's plunged into an entirely different reality full of fairy tales and magic. However—taking on a quest to find a missing prince with her friends, she discovers that few things are what they actually seem.

The Review:

This was... unexpected.

To begin, I'm someone who really enjoys Jude Deveraux and considers her a master of her craft. She's just a fabulous writer, and manages to lace her stories with such deep emotion. She also isn't afraid of a weird story, or a daring one for that matter. I don't think there's much she wouldn't do if she felt compelled to write it.

Nonetheless, when you read the back copy of this book, I think you do expect a straightforward fantasy romance. This isn't that. It has fantasy aspects, yes, but there's also an entire sci-fi plot that I don't want to spoil. (Which makes discussing the book a little challenging.)

That could be a "it's not you, it's me" thing, because I'm just difficult to please when it comes to sci-fi. There have been sci-fi romances I've enjoyed, but they're relatively few and far between. And while this isn't what I would call hard sci-fi, it's still a big part of the story.

That being said, Kaley is a likable protagonist, charismatic without being "plucky". You root for her, and her interests in folklore make her like... a fun nerd. Her hero, Tanek, I found a bit less interesting. But that could also be because of those sci-fi elements making me feel a bit removed from the story. And the romance was very much a slow burn, which isn't my favorite.

This is a solid book with a bold premise, and I was engaged. I just don't think it hit me quite as hard as Jude's other books tend to.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.