Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where bloggers are given a prompt that is usually a list of ten bookish things.
Todays prompt: Books Set in Another Time (These can be historical, futuristic, alternate universes, or even in a world where you’re not sure when it takes place you just know it’s not right now.)
All links will take you to the full review with an age rating, expansive content warnings and the Damsel rating system so you can be delighted with your read and not stumble into any unwanted violence or spice!
If the book is not linked then the reviews will be coming soon but all of these recommendations are YA and no spice however some of them are more violent than others so do check when the reviews are put up!
Usually when I go back for a reread (especially when I reread it within a year) then the plot doesn’t captivate me as much, but this one completely did. It feels so soft the plot and everything happens and then nothing but so many details and little emotions are worked into the whole world that you are never bored for a moment.
Elsie and Farrendel are in an arranged heavily political marriage between two countries that have been at war and in a country that is on the precipice of a much larger one. They don’t have the insta-love/attraction that I always struggle with in political marriage books, they understand each other and move slow. The exploration of cultural differences as well as the aftermath of war on people is really well explored but it is rarely heavy because we always have the hope of the new alliance and romance.
These series isn’t a rapid paced whirlwind so you get to know the characters which is especially important as later on in the series the POV changes. In this first book we get a real sense of the hope on both sides – no one wants war and so these two very different people from different cultures and life experiences are going to do everything they can to make this work.
World – 5/5 – classic fantasy, elves and humans and trolls yet fresh. It almost feels like a historical Victorian novel in places and then we revert into the very fantasy world of the elves. The juxtaposition between the traditionalist long lived elves and the Victorian feel humans shows just how the two kingdoms are so different but yet need to come closer to survive.
Plot – 4/5 – it is very much the wider plot, we have a lot of time we are playing with here over the series and a lot of war that happens before. But I was never lost and I was 100% there throughout all of the plot moments.
Romance – 5/5 – it is somehow the focus and not of the book, it is very sweet and slowburn while still giving us those deliciously sweet moments in places.
Characters – 5/5 – they are so realistic that sometimes I cant figure out how I feel about them. All of the characters are distinct and yet this hope binds them all. And they are reassuringly mature – well the mc’s are, the court is another thing entirely. It feels like it steps away from a YA fantasy romance into something that floats between and could be enjoyed by any young adult or adult adult looking for a fantasy read that steps out of tropes and delivers on all counts.
Content Warnings: violence, PTSD (pretty low in the first one but does increase as the series continues), ableism (as a country, Tarenheil is obsessed with surface perfectionism).
The Twelfth Keeper is another example of dystopian fantasy, but the opposite of Red Queen. A world that is perhaps only 500 to 1,000 years in the future. This means we still have recognisable government structures but Earth is at a tipping point in its history. Because of interactions with other planets, Earth has been told that they have ‘keepers’ twelve destined children who are all born within four years of each other who will protect earth. Seen as essentially military celebrities housed up in a military space station the people of Earth have no idea of the powers that both the keepers have and that are threatening earth.
We get introduced to Kennedy who is trying on her sisters clothes and makeup, something which marks her personal progress as later on in the novel and then the series, we see her become her own person. She is personable from the start as we go with her for the mandatory vaccinations, and her fear of needles. She doesn’t believe that she is the Twelfth Keeper, a protector of the earth, and is stubborn to the point of near death in holding her own opinions. She does not want to be a hero but everyone around her expects her to be the most powerful of them all, the other keepers have been waiting for years for her to arrive. She holds her family close (and they have a really sweet relationship which is always rare in fiction) and only goes to train because her family are paid for it.
Characters – 5/5 stars – Kennedy is so personable, I think I already used this word, but she just brings such a realism to an otherwise other world. Phoenix I took a bit longer to grasp but I do love him.
World – 5/5 stars – I just love it we have a mix of sci-fi, fantasy and dystopian that combines into a world I will always remember. With new technology and yet still similar world structures as to now it really highlights just how much dystopian is the way of commenting on corruption.
Romance – 4/5 stars – Sweet Romance – Phoenix and Kennedy have a rocky beginning, but it is explained and makes you understand more about how growing up in a government department in space has formed his character. The romance is slightly more prominent in this than some other reviews i have given but nothing out there, just a few kisses and cuddling. My one peeve with the romance is the age gap, Kennedy is sixteen and Phoenix is twenty and this is just pushing it a bit far for me but I can overlook it because everything else is so good.
Plot – 5/5 stars – because we are launched into this world alongside Kennedy who doesn’t know what is going on but knows what she believes we get a really lovely viewpoint on the plot. Clues are constantly going on around her, but they are often for books far later along and also Kennedy isn’t sure what is important. This is a new world to her and people expect her to do things that she doesn’t think is possible. The plot is fast paced with lulls letting us absorb more of this gorgeous world.
Things to be aware of: There is violence, and threat throughout 3.5/5. there is a lot surrounding drowning and how Kennedy is triggered heavily by that and how she suffers after. Genocide. A little bit of subtle racism in places.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where bloggers are given a prompt that is usually a list of ten bookish things.
This weeks prompt was –
Books I Never Reviewed (Share the titles of books you never reviewed on your blog/tiktok/insta/etc. and if you liked them or not!)
Okay so this was actually a really easy prompt to start (and a really hard one to finish I could keep going forever) because I have just started and there are sooooo many books that I haven’t reviewed yet. I am going to tweak the prompt a little to SERIES that I haven’t yet reviewed or finished reviewing.
Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce – I love Tamora Pierce’s world so much and I am much due a reread of her series!
The Twelfth Keeper series by Belle Malory – the final book is out! It came out late January and my fyp didn’t think to tell me this until I randomly looked it up (i have been waiting for this book for at least three years) and its out! So reviews are coming for the whole series and the new book Until the Sun Rises!
All of KM Shea’s Magiford series and the individual trilogies – this is sweet clean paranormal fantasy with a new couple every trilogy (I have my favourites but honestly they are all five star couples).
Three Dark Thrones Series by Kendare Blake – (and the prequal! Which is on my TBR as well as a complete reread of this epically dark fantasy).
Kirenmala and the Kingdom Beyond by Sayantani DasGupta – Indian mythology, vibrant worlds and a really cute demon prince this should have been reviewed by me before but I am 100% digging it out later for a reread.
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger – I have only reviewed the first! I have read the rest before but now I am going to go back and revisit them (I can barely remember all the complexities of the plot!) and this time review them too!
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – only reviewed the first one which is a travesty because this series is honestly in my top reads of all time and I am always thinking about it so I should have!
Eragon by Christopher Paolini – I haven’t reviewed any of these books but I really am going to because he was the author that got me into fantasy and dragons and without this series I would not have so many cluttered shelves of epic fantasy! I also got the illustrated edition that I need to show of so a review for this is definitely coming.
Elven Alliance by Tara Grayce – currently on my third read of the entire series and there is a new book coming out so I need to catch up on all my reviews for then!
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – again only reviewed the first book but I am going to buy the series in paperback for my third reread (I originally read them on Borrowbox) and then reviews upon reviews and book lists are coming.
Galdoni by Cheree Alsop – this whole trilogy is just gorgeous (and she has written another sci-fi book that I also loved!). We have winged gladiators, a sweet romance and a beautiful exploration of the best and worst of humanity, even if the protagonists are regularly told they are less than human. Reviews are coming!
This is more than 10 now so I am going to stop now but this post really reminded me of all the reviews and books I want to share with all of you so its now a 2025 goal to review all of the books on this list!
Pub Date: 22 May 2025 Publisher: Macmillian Children’s Books Genre: YA Fantasy, Romance Age Category: YA
13+B
Such a good read!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all of its little fantasy elements mixed in with an original but yet familiar mythology and god based magic system.
We start with a prologue five years earlier that introduces us to Elver. Elver was sacrificed to a sea serpent (yes we have sea serpents and a Queen Serpent) when she was twelve but the Queen of the serpents filled her blood with poison. Flash forward five years and Elver has been living feral in the woods surrounded by fellow jih because her touch is poison to anyone.
We then get introduced to the Sleepless – people who have two souls inside them and when one goes to sleep the other wakes up. It is a very Jekyll and Hyde style situation but neither of the souls have any control over it. The Sleepless are kept inside a monastery guarded by archers because their secondary souls are a danger to society. Artair/Lucian was just perfect and honestly I need more double soul love interests in my fantasy reads because why not?
Artair gives us the good dutiful love interest and Lucian the dark wild one and they share a body so Elver isn’t quite sure when she is dealing with whom. All of the characters were so well developed (I loved the twisty god Tisk) and even the villain has fully developed reasons which by the end we can not only understand but kind of support (at least I did).
Characters – 4/5 – 1000/5 for Artair and Lucian, they just reflect each other so well and I love that we get both love interests.
World – 5/5 – The world never stumbled! We had so many different locations (a physical quest allows us to see lots of the land) and I love the wild woods and then the busy town and how we see it through Artair’s naivety and Elver’s cynicism.
Plot – 4/5 – It was rapid paced in the beginning and then slower as we understood the complex world and how the Twelve gods ruled over it. And the twist at the end!
Romance – 5/5 – Soft Romance – love it! It was less of a focus than I was expecting but I am 100% hooked for the sequel.
Content Warnings: violence, mentions of child death.
I have been thinking about how tricky it is to truly give ‘content warnings’ for a lack of a better word about the romance. Some people are looking for a barely there romance or a sweet one with all the feels but ends with the fairytale kiss (think an old school Disney movie) but then sometimes we also want the stronger relationships so here is a quick guide!
Damsel is all about making sure people know what they are reading and are always delighted with no random potentially triggering or unwanted surprises so I wanted to add this to my reviews just to make it a little clearer.
I read several different articles and tried to find out what people usually define for different romance levels but honestly everyone disagrees so I settled on this. If you want to read more about different classifiers/more detailed explanation and what other people define as different heat levels then I have a post here.
NA:– nothing is really present, it isn’t the focus or a subplot.
Soft: perhaps a closed mouth kiss or two, no detail.
Sweet: Kissing, cuddling, clothes on, mild innuendo.
Suggestive: The flirtation becomes more physical — making out, caresses, breathlessness, mostly clothed but doesn’t take it any further on the page, discussions of sex/sleeping with each other, can have some strong innuendo.
Smokey: Closed Door/Fade to Black: This can float between or slightly above Sweet and Suggestive but we don’t get any details beyond making out.
Swoony – less than a Paragraph: This will have some sex on the page but it is going to be less than a paragraph – not some graphic sex scene. More and more YA seems to be having open door scenes now and sometimes the books are still ones I will recommend but I will definitely mention that they contain this content as always. By ‘low’ spice I mean its not going to be some detailed graphic scene and it will focus more on the emotional impact it has on the characters.
I am going to have Swoony A and B, A is less than a paragraph and euphemistic, B is less than a page with no graphic description at all.
I am going to go back to my old reviews and add these in as much as I can but from now in the Romance star section I will include these so you can find exactly what you are looking for!
I am going to go back to my old reviews and add these in as much as I can but from now in the Romance star section I will include these so you can find exactly what you are looking for!
I recently added a new area to my reviews that if they include romance I define more what that content is and my current system is:
NA:– nothing is really present, it isn’t the focus or a subplot.
Soft: perhaps a closed mouth kiss or two, no detail.
Sweet: Kissing, cuddling, clothes on, mild innuendo.
Suggestive: The flirtation becomes more physical — making out, caresses, breathlessness, mostly clothed but doesn’t take it any further on the page, discussions of sex/sleeping with each other, can have some strong innuendo.
Smokey: Closed Door/Fade to Black: This can float between or slightly above Sweet and Suggestive but we don’t get any details beyond making out.
Swoony: This will have some sex on the page but it is going to be less than a paragraph – not some graphic sex scene. More and more YA seems to be having open door scenes now and sometimes the books are still ones I will recommend but I will definitely mention that they contain this content as always. By ‘low’ spice I mean its not going to be some detailed graphic scene and it will focus more on the emotional impact it has on the characters.
Swoony A – less than a paragraph, euphemistic
Swoony B – less than a page, euphemistic
However I went down a research rabbit hole to work these out and so I thought I’d share a few links and interesting articles I read about this industry gap. Everyone disagrees and one of the things that makes taking book recs so difficult is that what one reader might think is low violence and moderate spice, another might think is high violence and no spice. It all depends on what you read and personally I am fine with all these different categories of heat – only no spice/very very low sexual content nothing graphic. Personally I like books that float around a few kisses and lots of swoon but nothing sexual and most of my recs reflect that!
Anyway to the links!
Rachel Rowland has an interesting article on her website about heat levels (I would say that these are probably the usual levels excepted across most readers and genres) here.
Romance Book Coach offers heat levels based on tv age ratings here. She also adds language and themes that are explored in those relationships.
I started my deep dive from Bookshelf Fantasy’s post here which contains several links to the articles she found.
Michelle over on the Writing Gals made a diagram of content that she considers is still clean and wholesome in romance. This is really interesting because it shows how much before overlaps with the next heat level – if you are reading a Smokey rec of mine (I rarely promote only romance, but fantasy romance, dystopian whatever) if it is a Smokey then it will still contain content from Suggestive just a step up.
Happy Reading! It was fun taking you down this rabbithole of mine with me!
This is for all the people out there who want a fictional valentine! Here are my top five couples from various books and my favourite most romantic quotes from each one from various books! I’m always looking for more recommendations, so do send me yours. I have tried to do one from each genre I review so have a look down!
Fantasy Valentine
Powerless, Paedyn and Kai are just *chef’s kiss*. It seems they are in every booklist and post I create but it is because they are truly one of the booktok books that exceeded all the hype it was given. Picking their quotes was like eating one sweet but here they are!
Quotes:
“Remind me to make you smile like that again, when you arent dying and i have all the time in the world to memorise it.” – Kai
Paedyn: “I could get used to you being a gentlemen, Azer.”
Kai: “and i could get used to being one for you, Gray”
Pae: “I didnt realise you had watched me so closely.”
Kai: “Watched? Darling I never stopped.”
Dystopian Valentine
See this is really tricky to pick! I love dystopian so much, Red Queen and others like it are constantly being added to my shelves and their romances all deserve to be on this list (although Mare and Cal are especially adorable). In the end I decided Kennedy and Phoenix (twelfth keeper) took the prize (despite the age gap which I try really hard to ignore).
Quotes:
Phoenix: “I dont bite”
Kennedy: “No you just burn”
Phoenix: “true”
Special (kinda cheating a little because it isnt from the first book but i had to include”
Kennedy: “If my soul has a compass, it always points to Phoenix. Wherever he goes, I follow.”
Historical (like victorican feel but with magic) Fantasy Valentine
Fierce Heart by Tara Grayce – this is actually on kindle unlimited so if you have that then it can be downloaded in time for Valentines! This is a elf/human arranged marriage slowburn and I’ve read the entire series twice over and the romance is just so cute. Really hard to find a super romantic quote because it is a slowburn over the series and they are more demonstrative in their romantic interest like learning about each others culture and language.
Quotes:
Farrendel – “Your smile. No one else was smiling. They were looking at each other as enemies. but you smiled, as if we were people you were happy to meet.”
Warrior/Assassin/Fighter Valentine
The one is from The Throne of Glass series, the prequel which is called the Assassins Blade. I adore Caeleana and Sam, and honestly, they are the epitome of a good rivals to lovers/assassin to assassin trope and jostle for the position of my favourite book couple EVER.
Favourite Quote
“She would tuck Sam into her heart, a bright light for her to take out whenever things were darkest.”
Urban Fantasy Valentine
The Lies of Vampires and Slayers by K.M Shea
Jade and Connor. 100% percent. They just win hands down. He is a vampire so one of my favourite things is all his teasing nicknames for her like “afternoon tea” and “emergency rations”. they are so comfortable together and these ever changing fond nicknames are just adorable. Its also a slowburn so no direct quotes from this one but it is so worth the read and it is a completed trilogy! It is also on kindle unlimited!
Thanks to Net Gallery + Rivka for this e-ARC copy! As always all thoughts and opinions stated are my own.
13+B
I went into this expecting a sweet romance but this book was honestly amazing. I loved it from start to finish, it was quick paced but we also had lots of details and plenty of different characters. It was attually translated from French, and I was concerned that maybe some of the text might not run as smooth but there were no stumbling blocks!
Our main character, Illiad (can I just say how much I love that name?) is honestly the perfect mc for this book. She almost floats through the world, gathering words and books along the way. She is self confident, she knows her own power and I loved that. So many books have heroines learning about their power but Illiad already knows her power and it is just what she chooses to do with it!
The world of being a snatchwords (someone who can read words and they come to life in illusions) set against a truly historical (but with flying deer!) fantasy set in France with lots of true classics mentioned was just so good. I – the world is incredible so complex but then so graspable from page one because we understand the societal undercurrents of power.
It almost reads as a ‘if the French Revolution hadn’t be necessary’ narrative which I loved exploring and this is definitely an unexpected find – that should be all over Bookstagram, it is gorgeous – and it is just gorgeous.
I have said gorgeous several times now so I’ll go to the star ratings
World – 10000/5 – deceptively simple but we have so many different elements that I can rethink over and redefine and wonder what might happen in the story from another persons perspective if it continued. Also Babel? Libaries? Magic surrounding libraries? You know I have to read it.
Characters – 4/5 – I really enjoyed them, especially Virginia – Illiads sister/lawyer/activist. She avoided all the pit falls of a powerful older sister archetype and just glowed throughout the story.
Romance – 4/5 – Soft Romance (definition on the link through). When Advil was first introduced I thought he was going to become the stereotype of the grumpy x sunshine trope but he had more layers than I was expecting and seemed to actually care for the world around him in a way that is often missing from this character type. Their romance was warm but it also had all the tense moments and a flying deer and an arranged marriage and a previous engagement (Illiad’s) so gorgeous.
Plot – 4/5 – it was entertaining, it moved quickly and I wasn’t bored for a second. I do wish that it had a little bit more development of the aftermath of the ending but it is a fantasy romance so the romance deserved the limelight a little bit too!
Content Warnings: SA (someone kisses the mc without her permission) that is what the B is for, a few mentions of suicide/poison/manipulation. Also a bit of ableism, the mc has lost vision in his right eye and several people think he is unattractive (including the FMC in the beginning) I wasn’t sure if this was because of his injury or dislike of his reputation but thought it would be worth a mention if that would be triggering for you. She does see him naked accidentally but it isnt sexual so i just thought i would put that in.
Thanks to Book Sirens and Alythia Connor for this ARC read and as always all opinions are my own. Genre: YA Fantasy Age Category: YA
This book follows a main character who is relearning everything she previously thought about the world and her place within it. Raised in an isolated village guarded by armed horsemen to keep out ‘sinners’ from interacting with the village folk Akedia has only ever been offered one perspective. That perspective seems to have been accepted by everyone around her without question – the human sacrifices which are beheaded become demigods. It is an honour. Right?
I found it really interesting how Akedia absorbed everything around her before making a decision about the truth at the end, but even then it was complex. The danger of a cultish religion and how much power isolation and twisted knowledge can have on people was explored thoroughly.
However I really struggled with the romance. Tamu her love interest kidnapped her and was forcing her to do ‘three favours’ which he refused to disclose or die by his magic. Akedia seems to quickly forget that she is essentially in a hostage situation and her feelings go from disgust to attraction very quickly.
That said there were several positives about this book and I would read another book by this author in the future.
Characters – 3/5 – they work, I liked Morra a lot, she would be a 5 star character on her own, the way she brought up morality vs the law was just beautiful especially considering the naiivity of the main character.
World – 3/5 – its good, we see several different locations in a dessert vaguely Eastern world and it never made me trip up on any of the details.
Plot – 4/5 – the premise is incredibly solid and I picked it up because I knew I would enjoy the plot however it did dip a little in the middle – the scenes with Tamu’s family were a nice break from the terror of fleeing the altar as a sacrifice but it sidelined from the plot a little bit.
Romance – 2/5 – Soft Romance – I’ve already said in the review that this is something I struggled with but I would still recommend this book just be aware that the romantic relationship is has toxic foundations.
Content Warnings: Sexual Assault (it is on the page, non graphic and stopped but still something to be aware of. It was quite sudden and random without being brought up again in the plot), Religious Abuse (non graphic, they are beheading people in the name of ‘religion’ and teaching them that it is right but it isnt graphic we just get told the mc can hear the axe).
Damsel in Delight 