Hello, everybody! I'm T. Kingfisher, author of Swordheart, Nettle & Bone, Hemlock & Silver, the Saint of Steel series, and way too many other novels, including a lot of fantasy romance. Thank you so much to r/fantasyromance for asking me to do an AMA--looking forward to your questions!

I am so glad I pre-ordered because I am beyond excited for this book!!

Imagine my surprise when I got a text from my book shop last week that Dead Beat was ready for pickup. It isn't officially released until the 15th of September - my local book shop apparently didn't know about that 🤩 Has any of you had this happen before??

I picked it up today, I am on page 50 right now and I can tell this is going to be the best book of the trilogy!! I love Alex and Darlington so much. Leigh Bardugo is going to DELIVER. I'm pretty sure we'll see more of a certain glowstick...

Putting my two book club reads on hold for this, obviously

The dust covers are usually so pretty but the book covers are plain. Sometimes they straight up don’t have any design. Can they not print whatever’s on the jacket onto the cover? Is it a cost cutting thing?

Romance Speed
Slow Burn #slow-burn
– If a standalone, characters get together at the end of the book
– If not a standalone, Characters get together AFTER book 1

Medium Burn #medium-burn
– If standalone, characters get together during the middle/later half of the book.
– If not a standalone, characters will usually get together at the end of book 1

Fast Burn #fast-burn
– Characters get together or start falling for each other before the middle of the first (or only) book.

The definitions work well enough for me but it makes me wonder how the third-act break-up, if present, comes into play.

So I am very late to the game because I had practically given up on romantasy reads especially shifter/ vampire romances. I DNFed so so many romantasies that I had stopped wasting my time. The Poison Daughter, Inked In Ashes, Rejected (shadow beast shifter), wolf moon all joined the DNF club. (Let me know if I should give any of these a second chance). My last romantasy read was Never Keep which I loved and read so fast but the second part, Echo Fort, is going slow for me. Halfway through and I haven’t touched it in a while but I love the twins so will end up finishing it. HOWEVER, I love Ali Hazelwood and decided to read all her books. And that obviously includes her romantasy Bride and Mate. I just started bride and already feel a world of difference. It is so smooth and the world building is subtle and I am already reeled in and rooting for them even though Im just a couple of chapters in. This is what Ive been missing. An engrossing read, amazing world building and a romance and banter that doesn’t feel forced or fake. Like don’t have to make the FMC a rebel or smart mouth if it doesn’t fit the plot. Similarly you don’t have to make the MMC a bully or hate the FMC unnecessarily. Im probably speaking too soon but love it so far. Any recs for similar romantasy/ Shifter/ Vampire romances reads? Would love to add to my already growing TBR!

PS: would love to hear your thoughts about any of the books I mentioned especially Bride duology but no spoilers please!

Title explains it pretty good! Think ACOTAR but better and a complete series. Not looking to read 2 books and then have to wait 1–2 years for the next one to come out!
I want something I can completely disappear into. Amazing world building, fae/magic/shifters, a really good plot, romance and lots of spice. Dark is totally fine too.
I want the fantasy/story to actually be good, not just smut with a little fantasy thrown in.
Some of what I’ve already read:
ACOTAR
Throne of Glass
Crescent City
Fourth Wing / Empyrean
From Blood and Ash
Kindred’s Curse / Everflame
Plated Prisoner
The Folk of the Air
Psy-Changeling
Guild Hunter
Mages of the Wheel
Peaches & Honey
Quicksilver
When the Moon Hatched
Powerless
Lightlark
I’m totally fine with a long series, I actually prefer it if it keeps me hooked.
Bonus if the audiobooks are amazing or have dramatized/full cast versions!
What series would you give anything to read again for the first time?

I have been on the hunt for some good Fairytale retellings but I am pretty particular about it. I really don't like retellings that's for a lack of better words "Girlbossy" or are YA as I like just a pinch of spice.

What I mean by that is I want to read something that doesn't devaite too much from the source material so that it reads like "I am a badass girl boss in a fairytale"

Specifically I want to avoid these tales in particular:

Beauty and the Beast

Sleeping Beauty

Cinderella

Little Red Riding Hood

Nothing against those retellings I just never liked them even as a kid.

However, What I am very interested in is :

• Princess and the Frog
• The Little Mermaid
• The 12 Dancing Princesses
• The Tale of Cupid and Psyche
• Rapunzel
• The Swan Princess
• Thumbelina
• East of the Sun and West of the Moon
• Ferdinand (I think this counts?)

I am really looking for something relatively close to the original source material (it can also be close to any Grims or Disney interpretation). It can be whimsical, Traditional (preferably) or Dark.

Just not YA (unless it's really good)

TL:DR : Traditional fairytale retellings that aren't YA and also aren't Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, or Cinderella. ​

I just finished How to Lose a Goblin in 10 Days by Jesse Sylva and I loved it! This book got me out of a month-long reading slump and is perfect for heading into fall.

I am looking for similar books and would love any recommendations.

Unique pairings/races (orcs, goblins, etc.)

Enemies to lovers ( or even a good old forced proximity or grumpy x sunshine)

Interested in a *little* more spice

Bonus points for fall/cozy vibes/atmospheric

Open to all pairings (m/f, wlw, queer etc)

Looking forward to reading the recommendations!

Hi y'all its been a while since I've posted a request here. I've fallen down a rabbit hole of reading MM CR and I haven't found a lot that I've liked within fantasy. I did read Captive Prince but wasn't really thrilled or blown away by the story. I get really unmotivated when reading unfinished series so I would prefer more completed series if possible or standalones.

I would love something with detailed and engaging world building, complex relationship building. I would prefer more enemies to lovers but I'm open to other tropes and am partial to He fall first and harder. I love morally grey MMCs but am open to all kinds and bonus points for stabby/ unhinged men.

Ty in advance <3

for the bot: {Captive Prince by C.S Pascat}

Thank you to everyone who nominated books for our October 2026 Book Club read! Next month’s theme is book that were published from April to September 2026.

Here is the link to the nomination thread.  

Please vote for the book you’d like to read and discuss the most! Information on each book is in the comments.  

Don’t forget, you can still join us for the September Book Club! We’re reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan. The first discussion for part one of the book, up to chapter 14, will be posted the day after tomorrow. Hope to see you there!  

The schedule for this month’s Book Club will be as follows:  

• September 10 - First discussion for Daughter of the Moon Goddess (part 1, up to chapter 14)
• September 15 - October announcement  
• September 20 - Second discussion for Daughter of the Moon Goddess (part 2, up to chapter 27)  
• September 30 - Final discussion for Daughter of the Moon Goddess (full book)  

Book Club

i m just at chapter 7 and i'm already annoyed and fighting with all my forces not to DNF it . i am just hoping is going to get slightly better but man...

Guys I’m after a dark romance book/ao3/wattpad/literotica rec where the vibes of the book are hauntingly beautiful, goth,vampiric and dark. Maybe it’s set in a different time/universe. Would love if the mmc is a supernatural being (preferably vampire) and the fmc is human and there is an age gap but it it not a strict requirement. I love both these movies so much (please watch if you haven’t), but I do want the book to have a happy/happier ending. Would also love if it’s set in a castle or graveyard or something similar. It could be a mystery/fantasy/thriller romance as well. I love the taboo/forbidden nature of the movies and how it all slowly unravels especially for the fmc. I’m okay with reverse harem as well! I hope I’m making sense. Thank you in advance!!!

Has anyone read this? Was anyone else pissed that the FMC seems to always be apologizing and in the “wrong”?!? Ugh I hate when authors make the FMC the sole problem. The book has a great premise and could have been so good but no matter how many people do her wrong, she’s the one constantly apologizing. The only one who deserved an apology was Bren. Does the other books get better?

Ok, I am one of many adding to the discourse of TPD but y'all. Am I the only one who thinks it was a poorly written 'Bride' fanfic??

Bride is my absolute favorite book right now. I love the world building, I love the characters, I love how believable their relationship develops. This book... disappointed me.

Hear me out on the similarities: FMC is a sassy woman with lilac eyes. She is doing everything out of obligation to her family (mostly her father) but she has a secret side hustle. She has ulterior motives for her arranged marriage because she wants to save her sister. She marries a "wolf" in an arranged marriage and travels to an unsafe environment for her. The "wolf" is the leader of his pack and wants to overthrow/kill the father of the FMC. The borders are under attack. The father created dissent and chaos to be the dictator. The FMC finds an unlikely ally in her brother.

I mean, come on. Too fucking similar for my taste. However, where the similarities end is the plot and pacing of the love.

Putting the issue of consent aside, why the fuck was the MMC so stupid?? Every chapter from his POV was like, "I want her to trust me. I need her secrets. But I'm going to be super secretive and keep doing shit that makes her distrust me. Ugh, why won't she trust me yet??" Bro was pissing me off! What would it have cost him to tell her about the hunt? The marriage rituals? Of course she would be curious?!? But then he jumps and tells the huge secret of his family well? I don't get that at all. If you want her to trust you, why not just be open and honest about what she could expect and then keep some things closer. And he doesn't seem to care that he's obeying his father with very little information about some things? Killing Gaven was so unnecessary too. He was starting to get his trust.

Subplots that I think should have either been left out or flushed out: the vampire stuff-literally unnecessary and didn't add anything but confusion; the drained evolving- that could have been a whole book on its own; her being Poison Vixen- that pathetically fizzled out but I think it would have made for a great book; her incurable pain- felt like she had to be disabled with an invisible illness because that's the popular thing now and I hate it; the whole thing of her seducing Stephan- it was confusing and too complex to make sense; the gods and how they worshipped them-it was tough to keep track of them and their origin story. It felt like there were so many hoops that had to happen for her to get breadcrumbs of info. For example, the "safe" room was a whole chapter or so and had to be added to the storyteller chapter just so that she could find out he was a vampire. Idk but it just felt like too much information thrown at us for each of the subplots but some of them needed to be less complicated.

I feel like I can go on and on. I might just add to this post as I remember things lol

All of that said, I bawled at the scene where she talks to Aidia. Omg I can't remember the last time a book made me cry like that. I've known that heartbreak of saying goodbye to family members before and it was the only scene where I really felt her pain.

Overall, I would not read it again. I almost DNF'd it but I'm stubborn. I don't care about the spice. It wasn't my cup of tea but I feel like all the reviews I read talk about it and it's just going to be a source of contention. I'd like to know thoughts on the other points I brought up.

Also, please forgive any typos- this is a 3AM rant lol

Reposting in hopes that I have enough Karma now 🫠