MY RATING:
Synopsis:
Stephanie Burgis delivers a delightful and seductive romantasy with the fun irreverence of The Nightmare Before Kissmas and Assistant to the Villain.She’s the wicked sorceress whom everybody fears. He’s the mysterious dark wizard hired to sort out the chaotic library of magic in her castle. Little does she know he’s actually a sweet, nerdy archduke in disguise and on the run, with no magical training whatsoever, but with perilous secrets on his trail… and a fast-growing yearning for her, the most terrifying woman he’s ever met.
- Pages: 297
- Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Witches
- Publication date: February 18, 2025 by Bramble
- Format: Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover
- Source: Audible, Owned
PURCHASE LINKS:
AMAZON
KOBO
THE REVIEW:
Hmmm, I am a bit conflicted about this one. I listened to the audiobook and I wonder if it was better to get the ebook instead…
Some books are just better off being read and not listened and this one was one of those ones for me I guess. First of all the narrator was a woman, who was not bad per se, but did not deliver much emotion when reading the male parts. Maybe it’s just me, but I tend to enjoy male narrators more than the female ones.
So the story follows “Fabian” and Saskia. Oh and her crows, they were the stars for me in this book lol! Fabian ends up being the librarian of Queen Saskia by pure chance. And the Queen herself has a not-so-great reputation. She is a witch to be feared and someone not to be messed up with.
Without giving too much away, the beginning of this book hooked me right away I loved how everything was going on and how they both met. It was fun and interesting and you keep wanting to see where it will end up going.
But as the story progressed, it became too much to follow and rather chaotic I don’t know if it was due to the fact I was listening to the audio but still I felt like some bits were missing and I listened at normal speed, therefore I think it would have been better to read instead of listening to it. I usually do not have issues with audiobooks but this one was not very well done in my opinion. As I mentioned earlier the narrator did little to nothing for me when it comes to the delivery of the emotions…
The exchanges between Fabian and Saskia were some of my favourite bits along with the crows and the staff. The rest like I mentioned is a blur and it feels like a lot was said but nothing of substance really to stick around…
Some important topics were undergoing such as inclusion and embracing who we truly are but also letting yourself trust and love and that crows make great and loyal pets!
Hence my rating is 3.5 I will still want to read the next book simply because now I need to know what happens with Fabian and his newfound voice!
Lin's Perspective 
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