Others: Negative A world of magic, desire, and intrigue awaits at Flighthaven, where a young woman defies the odds to find her true calling.Nineteen-year-old Lark Axton has lived her entire life sequestered behind the castle's walls, overshadowed by her overprotective mother. Now, the king has ordered Lark to assume her missing sister’s role as a warrior in training at Aclaris’s flight academy, where the kingdom's sons and daughters train to battle their winged enemies and control dragons.There’s just one problem. Lark is terrified of flying.Forced to the deadly training grounds of Flighthaven, Lark must survive the danger that stalks the academy if she wants to uncover the truth behind her sister’s disappearance and survive the upcoming treacherous trial. Unfortunately, her sinfully irresistible, arrogant and downright irritating flight instructor is determined to make her life hell.But enemies lurk within the academy, and no one is who they seem, including Lark herself. As the trial begins, the same explosive secrets that tore Lark's sister away from Flighthaven now threaten Lark.With her life hanging in the balance, Lark's ability to unlock the secret magic within her will either save...or kill her.Kingdom of Shadows and Wings weaves the thrill of dragons, elemental magic, and forbidden romance into an exhilarating fantasy adventure that’s perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and Zodiac Academy.
Lists: …
Briar Boleyn
2025 · 592 pages · 3 reviews
Others: MixedWelcome to Bloodwing Academy. Expect magic. Expect competition. Expect blood. I didn't sign up for this. A half-fae in a school of highblood vampires? That's a recipe for suffering. I'm Medra Pendragon, last of the dragon riders—or so they tell me. Funny thing is, there are no dragons left. Not a single one. But somehow, that hasn't stopped the vampires from deciding I'm worth capturing. Now I'm stuck at Bloodwing Academy, where the highbloods run everything, and blightborn like me? We're just blood in their veins, pawns in their games. But that's not even the worst part. Enter Blake Drakharrow: cold, arrogant, and way too gorgeous for his own good. He's been tormenting me since the moment we met, and now, thanks to some ancient ritual, we're betrothed. He acts like he owns me, but I'm not going down without a fight. Bloodwing isn't just a school—it's a battlefield. Highbloods fight for power, and if you're weak, you're dead. Between deadly competitions, lies that could get me executed, and a dragon-shaped secret looming over my head, all I have to do is survive. Easy, right? Except I'm starting to think the real danger isn't the academy—it's what I'm becoming in this twisted game of power. And Blake? He might just be the one who pushes me over the edge. They think they can control me. They think they can use me. But they have no idea what they've awakened.
What made the match, strongest first
Danielle L. Jensen
2024 · 448 pages · 11 reviews
Others: Mostly negativeBound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back. Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate. Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.
What made the match, strongest first
L. J. Andrews
2025 · 480 pages · 1 review
Others: MixedTHEY STOLE HIS CROWN. SO HE STOLE THEIR DAUGHTER…The explosive first book in the viral TikTok romantasy series Ever Seas, where vengeance, magic, and forbidden love collide.‘THIS WAS SO GOOD. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time’ 5 ⭐ Review–For years, Erik, the scarred king of the Ever Kingdom, has thought of nothing but vengeance against the man who killed his father and trapped him beneath the waves, making him a prisoner in his own realm.Until his enemy’s daughter unintentionally breaks the chains on the Ever, and Erik makes her the unwitting pawn in his vicious game of revenge.She’s innocent. He’s vicious. But he will take back what he lost, no matter the price.Unless she steals his heart first… Enemies to loversSlow-burn romanceForced proximityTouch her & dieMorally grey MMCSirens, faes, piratesDual POVMajor cliffhangerCaptor / Captive
What made the match, strongest first
Sable Sorensen
2024 · 608 pages · 12 reviews
Others: MixedOnly the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them… Meryn Cooper has never dreamed of being one of the Bonded, the King’s elite warriors who form mental links with massive, vicious direwolves. She’s made peace with her life scraping by in poverty in the shadows of the castle. But then her younger sister Saela is kidnapped, stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting. And Meryn’s world falls apart. Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army—only to discover that there are Bonding Trials this year, where all soldiers are forced to risk their lives in an attempt to connect with a direwolf. It’s too late to turn back; Meryn is thrown into the deadly competition against her will. Now, she’ll need to survive the next four months of training at the castle if she wants a chance of finding Saela. Everything here is a test, from the brutal classes where one mistake means death, to the glittering court parties where every smile hides a knife. To make things worse, Meryn is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her gorgeous instructor, Stark Therion, is as malicious as the wolves himself. Everyone is out to get her—everyone but the dangerously handsome crown prince, Killian Valtiere. But if she loses her heart to him, she may also lose her life. And the castle is hiding dark secrets…
What made the match, strongest first
Ashley Poston
2025 · 392 pages · 11 reviews
Others: Leaning negativeA hitmaking songwriter and a bitter musician share a startling and inexplicable connection that they’ll do anything to shake, in the next sparkling, magical book from Ashley Poston. Joni Lark is living the dream. She’s one of the most coveted songwriters in LA…and she can’t seem to write. There’s an emptiness inside her, and nothing seems to fill it. When she returns to her hometown of Vienna Shores, North Carolina, she hopes that the sand, the surf, and the concerts at The Revelry, her family’s music venue, will spark her inspiration. But when she gets there, nothing is how she left it. Her best friend is avoiding her, her mother’s memories are fading fast, and The Revelry is closing. How can she think about writing her next song when everything is changing without her? Until she hears it. A melody in her head, lyric-less and half-formed, and an alluring and addictive voice to go with it—belonging, apparently, to a wry musician with hangups of his own. Surely, he’s a figment of her overworked imagination. But then the very real man attached to the voice shows up in Vienna Shores. He’s aggravating and gruff on the outside—nothing like the sweet, funny voice in Joni’s head—and he has a plan: They’ll finish the song haunting them both, break their connection, and hope they don’t risk their hearts in the process. Because that song stuck in their heads? Maybe it’s there for a reason.
What made the match, strongest first
Lucy Jane Wood
2024 · 416 pages · 14 reviews
Others: Leaning negativeBelladonna Blackthorn hasn’t lost her magical spark . . . but she hasn’t seen it in a while, either. Balancing work at her beloved Lunar Books with protecting it from her toxic boss, who’s running it into the ground, and all the while concealing her witchcraft from the non-wicches around her – Belle is burnt out. Perfecting the potential of her magic is the last thing on her mind. But when her 30th birthday brings a summons from her coven, and a trial that tests her worthiness as a witch, Belle risks losing her magic forever. With the month of October to fix things, and signs that dark forces may be working against her, Belle will need all the help she can get – from the women in her life, from an unlikely mentor figure, and even an (infuriatingly handsome) watchman who’s sworn to protect her . . . With found family, slow burn romance and an uplifting message about self-love, this is the cosy, autumnal read that you've been waiting for.
What made the match, strongest first
Not a fanThe writing is not the best. I will say I'm like this author is kind of trying too hard and like using words in not like a natural way that it's kind of pulling me out of the story. So, I'm about 45% in. I kind of want to finish, but I'm not loving it.
