I had high hopes for this one but sadly it just didn't hit the mark. The dystopian setting seemed at odds with the story and writing to me. On top of which that whole vibe of Isadora's people just felt a little too pointed in today's climate. I read as an escape not to be faced with possible worst case futures.

This was an intriguing read! I love that it has the forest healer vibe, but it’s actually set in the future (post-“Republic”). It gives the system familiarity and yet also some world-building to be done.
While it has fade-to-black intimacy, the tension and connection between them is sizzling, and is well-done. It’s a little bit quick from enemies to lovers for me; he had a longer connection to her, but it didn’t seem to take much to go from guilt over her previous betrothal to being all-in for Tristan.
Overall really enjoyed this one.

I’m a sucker for arranged marriages and mind speak when it comes to romantasy.

Add in a reimagining of a Celtic legend, and you having my TBR curious.

But this wasn’t as deep of read as I was wishing for. I’d argue the comps on this are incorrect. This doesn’t have the vivid world building Curious Tides or the solid dramatic pacing factor of Belladonna.

I think my biggest issue was the modern dystopian thread wasn’t strong or consistent enough. It would have been better without it. Or just kept things pre-industrial. The voice naturally felt preindustrial at points & probably would have sang with more editing in this direction.

Don’t get me wrong, Poett makes a quick page turner, but the inconsistent voice took me out of my nerdy escapism.

Thank you @NetGalley & HarperCollins Children for this ARC.

I honestly can’t even describe just how much I loved The Enemy’s Daughter. At first I was worried I wasn’t going to get on with this book as it seemed like every time I sat down to read I wasn’t getting very far. However, once I really dedicated some time to it, I flew through this book.

I’m aware that this is a retelling of Tristan and Isolde but I actually don’t know anything about the original story so I don’t know how faithful The Enemy’s Daughter is. But it’s one hell of a ride let me tell you.

I don’t want to spoil too much, especially as this book hasn't been published yet, but the way in which you view this world and its inhabitants is constantly challenged by new information is honestly a little unsettling. I didn’t believe the truth for a while as everything you think you know isn’t the whole story. Isadora’s whole world changes in a matter of days but I won’t give away if that's for the better or not. There’s literally an entire new world out there that she has no idea about because women aren’t respected in the clans.

I’d love to comment on how ridiculous Isadora’s dad’s reasons are for why he acts the way he does, but it’s a huge spoiler. I’ve never felt so angry towards a book character before.

To begin with I wasn’t wholly sold on the romance side of The Enemy’s Daughter as it didn’t make sense to me. Why would Tristan risk his life to save Isadora, they’re sworn enemies. However, I’m a sucker for ‘he falls first and harder’ so I didn’t want to question it too much. Plus the rare magic that connects them is really cool. The idea of being able to take half of your partner's pain and also send memories to each other is beautiful. This connection was explored and developed really well throughout the book. I love how Isadora and Tristan used it to communicate, and drive each other mad with both anger and desire.

My high rating for this book wasn’t decided until the very end. I was torn between giving it a 4.5 or a 5, but decided that the happiness I felt from it meant it deserved 5 stars. Plus I’d been in such a slump when I started it and I feel like it cured that.

The Enemy’s Daughter is a wonderfully romantic and epic romantasy. I loved both main characters and thought even though their relationship progressed quickly over only a matter of weeks, the development, due to the connection, felt believable. By the end of the book I wanted nothing but happiness for them both. I did think it was leading to a cliffhanger and the potential for a second book. The ending was satisfying though.

The absolutely GORGEOUS cover is what instantly drew me to The Enemy's Daughter, but unfortunately this just wasn't for me. The instant love aspect between Isadora and Tristan just killed it for me.

3.5 stars
The story of Tristan and Isolde is one of my favorites, so naturally I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this!

The writing was so addictive, I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. It held my interest the entire time, and that in itself can be a rare thing to find. The dystopian setting, with a hint of magical elements added in, made this world really intriguing and I was able to fully immerse myself in it. I would have liked to have learned more about how we came to be in this dystopian world and how magic developed from it. The most likely scenario to me is that this is the result of a nuclear war, but not much is really elaborated on that front so I can’t be certain.

Tristan and Isadora are both wonderful characters in their own rights, but their individual opposing qualities make them a well balanced couple. I enjoyed their relationship and all their interactions together. But I have to be honest, their insta love is what brought my rating down. I wanted an angsty slow burn with an abundance of yearning! But that is completely a me problem and a result of my own expectations, not the fault of the book itself.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and entertaining YA read.

This book starts by instantly grabbing your attention and continues from there with a caring heroine and high stakes amidst political turmoil.

This was a really quick read and I had a good time with it. I think readers who are more familiar with Tristan and Isolde will be more invested, but even though I only had a cursory knowledge of the story, I still had a good time.

There was a moment toward the end of the book as things are getting revealed that I went oh he’s an INCEL incel (not mmc). So while I think the discussion on society was interesting and important, it was also pretty heavy handed.

Regardless, it was fun and I enjoyed how the magical bond was used!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a review copy!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Enemy’s Daughter by Melissa Poett is a first person-POV YA post-apocalyptic fantasy romance reimagining of Tristan and Isolde. Isadora is the daughter of one of the leaders of the clansmen who have been fighting off Kingsland for years. After a competition for her hand ends in her engagement to her childhood friend, her life seems set in stone. Until she finds Tristan, the son of the former leader of Kingsland and he needs to marry her in order to save both their lives.

There are a lot of subgenres coming in to make this speculative romance. The setting is post-apocalyptic with direct mentions of bombings and not knowing who caused it but doesn’t have a specific mention of the previous nation(s) that the book takes place in. The dystopian aspects come in the form of the rampant misogyny in Isadora’s community and the violence going on between the clansmen and Kingsland. The fantasy threads are a magical system that is rooted in intimacy and allows Tristan and Isadora to share feelings, thoughts and memories as well as heal each other but it doesn’t branch out into spells nor is it really explained where this magic came from, with only sixteen families in Kingsland having access to it. I would classify this as a post-apocalyptic fantasy romance, but I think there’s an argument for calling it a speculative romance and a science fantasy romance, too.

I love the story of Tristan and Isolde despite not being the world’s biggest romantic tragedy enjoyer. There is something deeply romantic in their story even if it might make some people uncomfortable as a love potion is involved. In this version, there isn’t a love potion, but there is marriage very quickly after the pair meet and the connecting of their minds cannot be undone. Isadora didn’t know this when she agreed to the marriage nor was she aware that Tristan had strong feelings for her for a while, so she’s very much walking into this relationship on unequal footing. What helps sell the romance is that Tristan doesn’t push her to do anything overly intimate and he respects her boundaries as she processes the truth of their world.

A decent portion of the plot is Isadora not only learning how sheltered she is, but how misogynistic her community is, how dangerous that is, and the propaganda she has been fed. There’s been conversations on whether or not we need books like this anymore, but I think we do as long as there is dangerous misinformation out there and people are growing up in communities that are not welcoming or honest about reality. Tristan is patient with Isadora but is also clearly confused by how much she doesn’t know and the things that she believes about Kingsland. It’s a growing period for both of them because neither knew just how deep the propaganda ran.

I would recommend this to fans of YA Romantasy who want a post-apocalyptic twist and readers of YA who love more emotion-based magic systems

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑦’𝑠 𝐷𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟 stole my heart, soul, and probably a few tears I wasn’t planning to cry 🥹💘

This book had me 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 from the very first chapter — not just for the ✨𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄 & 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒉𝒆𝒎✨ but for the 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑦, 𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤－𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 of it all. ❤️‍🔥

She’s a healer with a 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 soul and too much 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 in her eyes. He’s the 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 assassin with 𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠 for days… but somehow, when fate (𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐) ties them together, he starts to 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 again. Like—really 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍. Cue the internal sobbing. 😭💕

Their bond? It’s not just ✨𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑏𝑜𝑛𝑑✨ levels of intense — it’s the “I 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖” kind of intimacy. And that’s the stuff that 𝑤𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑠 me in the best way. 😮‍💨😩🔥

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬:
💘 Enemies to something more tender than either of them expected
🩷 Magically bonded soulmates who have zero chill but all the longing
🧠 Memory sharing = “You felt this alone?? Not anymore.”
✨ Forbidden softness blooming in a hard, broken world
🥹 The “I saved you and now I can’t stop caring” spiral we all know and love

It’s giving 𝓑𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓪𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓷𝓪 x 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓗𝓾𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓮 𝓦𝓪𝓻𝓼 x 𝓒𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓣𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓼 but with more emotional wreckage.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲, & 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. 🥹✨

I can’t wait to buy my hard cover copy 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟔𝐭𝐡!

Truly enjoyed this book! Felt it was an easy read but was able to keep my attention the whole time. It features magic, post apocalyptic world, enemies to lovers, retelling, and hidden truths. This is definitely one of those books I will continue to think of for awhile

This was a beautifully written retelling that I couldn’t put down.

I loved this dystopian setting. It perfectly bordered the line of conceptually real and fantastical at the same time. This really gave a modern feel to what I loved about the dystopian heyday of the 2010s.

War between the five clans and the Kingsland was inevitable, but when they killed the Kingsland’s leader, the worst broke out. Isadora attempts to use her ability as a healer on the frontlines instead of back at home. She is shot by a poisoned arrow by the Kingsland guards and Tristan, an assassin she just thwarted offers her a way to save her life. The Kingsland has a secret magic, but the two of them must be bound by marriage for it to work. With death imminent, Isadora sees no other choice but to accept.

The magic to save her connects Isadora and Tristan on a very intimate level, giving them the ability to share memories with one another. They begin to learn exactly WHY the five clans and the Kingsland are enemies. As the bond between them grows stronger, they must try to find a way to make peace between their people, or their love is doomed.

I enjoyed this from start to finish. I loved the characters and the way this romance blossomed.

Wow, this book was amazing. It truly took dystopian books back to the core of the genre—a cautionary tale about our current world by taking an aspect of our current world and escalating it so it’s obvious it’s completely wrong that it scares you into awareness.

I was immediately pulled into this book, but I thought it would just be like some of the more empty dystopian books that have come out lately. I am so glad I pushed aside the initial elements of the story that worried me—I really hate when there’s blatant sexism just as a plot point in books—so I was so pleasantly surprised when this eventually got into the deeper meaning of the story.

And of course, I absolutely loved the romance in this book. It really was a true enemies to lovers, which many books claim but never really live up to. This one lived up to the trope, and the transition from enemies to forced allies to questioning to lovers was done so well, no notes or complaints. ALSO. The mind connection. This is another of my favorite little additions to books (probably my overall favorite), and all the elements of it were so interesting and really made it the cherry on top to the enemies to lovers arc.

The world building of this book was so interesting, and although it is subtle, the author worked it into the book beautifully, dropping hints throughout the book about how the world as we know it ended. I would absolutely read another book set in this world, especially if it touched more on how exactly the mind connection developed (they theorize about it at one point in the book, but it’s a brief mention). I highly recommend this book, especially if you are hunting for dystopian weird some real depth to it.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books, Quill Tree Books, and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This retelling of Tristan and Isolde is set in a post-apocalyptic society where one set of survivors is trying to reestablish life as they knew it while another reverts to life before technology existed. While these two factions are seemingly at war with each other, the children of the leaders meet and form a tenuous relationship. The tension between Tristan and Isadora is palpable and delicious. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened at the end.

The Enemy's Daughter is a beautifully written enemies-to-lovers romantasy inspired by the tale of Tristan and Isolde. The story begins 30+ years after a horrific war completely destroyed the world. Now, two settlements compete for resources and knowledge in order to ensure their people's survival. While the five clans continue to fight amongst themselves, they have finally come together to kill the infamous cruel leader of the Kingsland. While the Kingsland leader may be dead, the people of Kingsland will be demanding revenge. Tristan, a Kingsland assassin, is hellbent on finding the clansman who killed their leader and bringing him to justice. Isadora, a powerful clan healer and the daughter of the clans' leader, risks her life to help those on the frontline. When Tristan and Isadora's paths collide, both will have to face some unsettling truths. When Tristan chooses to use his unique magic to save Isadora, they are bonded both physically and mentally. With both determined to save their own people, they must fight both their mutual attraction and their magical connection.

The Enemy's Daughter is definitely one of my favorite books of 2025. Melissa Poett creates a uniquely stunning dystopian world. I loved how the reader is immediately thrust into the action. The history of the world, the people, and the magic system is explained side-by-side the action. Melissa Poett successfully avoids information dumping and, in so doing, allows for a beautiful flow to her story telling. The characters are well-developed. Both Tristan and Isadora face unique challenges and must overcome personal obstacles. The dialogue is excellent - lots of fun and witty banter. Their first meeting is absolutely epic. I loved both Tristan and Isadora. I will definitely be recommending The Enemy's Daughter to all of my fellow romantasy lovers. This book is an easy 5 stars and a must-read for 2025!

Thank you Netgallery and harperCollins
For the arc! All thoughts and opinions are my own! My honest review!

-a world being rebuilt from the ruins of destruction, a fight between factions - five clans and the Kingsland - results in the death of the latter's leader, heightening tensions and issuing a power struggle. The daughter of one of the faction leaders, Isadora, goes to tend to injured soldiers when she stops an attack from a young man from the Kingsland. She must decide whether to turn him in or let him go. For at her heart she is a healer. Before her choice can be realized soldiers from Kingsland subdue her with poison. A poison meant to kill until Tristan surprises them all by calling upon a magical bond of his people to save Isadora's life— and bind her life to his. What follows is a journey into a world Isadora knows little of, is fascinated much by, and questions the answers she thought she once knew. This new world houses a boy whose heartbeat she can't help but match with her own, resetting them on a much unexpected path.

I really enjoyed this story! I absolutely loved Tristan and Isadora. I will say that I do not consider them to be enemies-to-lovers, but rather forbidden lovers. This did not ruin my enjoyment at all though! Isadora and Tristan were such a compelling duo. I really liked Isadora character! she's compassionate, she wants to grow
—but she also knows how to throw a knife when she needs to.

The romance is beautifully written! I absolutely loved how the Magical bond between Isadora and Tristan played out! How far they will go for each other!! This book really kept me on my feet and wanted to keep going!

I can really see a lot of people liking this one. It's very enemies to lovers. Great message about coming together with your enemies. Overall this was a bit too insta love for me. I prefer slow burn romance.

While I had never read anything by this author before, the Author's Note at the beginning gave me a lot of hope about this book! A true enemies-to-lovers story? A tale about the effects of war and how men use soldiers and women in their games? It sounded very intriguing. Almost immediately, I realized the promises in the author's note would not be delivered.

First of all, the enemies-to-lovers trope promises animosity between the MCs at some point. The MMC never has any ill will towards the FMC. Yes, she perceives that he does, but honestly, the FMC is an idiot. I couldn't take any of her "observations" seriously. Yes, their PEOPLE were enemies. But the MMC and FMC? Not enemies. Authors need to stop promising that trope if they can't deliver. That's what makes the trope so tired.

The war was also ridiculous. The FMC comes from a sexist clan. She's there for maybe 20 pages before she's captured, so why should I care that her sexist clan is being attacked by the MMC's people? I have no emotional attachment to her people and they seem like they suck.

My biggest issue with this book is how it is marketed as a fantasy, but is really a post-apocalyptic sci-fi. There's a "magical" element, but also a character mentions that their magic could be an effect of nuclear bombs. The mis-marking of the genre doesn't particularly bother me, but I went in expecting a fantasy story, and there were too many modern references! Cars, bathtubs, electricity, the clothing, etc. Everything was modern and I like my fantasy stories to be set in other worlds--not a facsimile of my own.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely incredible! I could not catch my breath, could not stop reading, I absolutely adored this book! The main characters were interesting and lovable, the plot was fast-paced, and the world was unique and interesting. Also, the romance was SO swoony. I am such a fan of this power couple! The Enemy's Daughter is perfect for fans of Powerless, Red Queen, and Legend.

The best Tristan and Isolde retelling that I have come across! I adored how Melissa Poett has taken one of my favorite legends and put it in a dystopian romantasy setting. The chemistry between the characters was impeccable and the stakes were so high for the entirety of the story, making it nearly impossible to put down!