This was a solid romance fantasy... romantasy? I never know which to classify books like this as. I don't think it falls under fantasy romance because I felt the romance was a bigger plot than the fantasy, but the fantasy was very well written. Sometimes books with multiple authors feel very disjointed but this melded seamlessly. I'm interested to see where the characters end up in the next book.

I liked the protagonist Fia and will say right now that the love interest Laryk was written in an absolutely appalling way . He's more than a bit snide and yes she finds him attractive but he is frequently absent so I really struggled to find their "romance" believable.
Things I did like, well the surprise ending as I'm obviously hoping for a different love interest so more along the lines of ACOTAR although if the author's can make the relationship more real somehow perhaps I can forgive the smirking Laryk. The magic system was interesting with different characters having different and pretty powerful abilities. Hmm characters, whilst not completely fleshed out Fia does find potential friends and allies but ouch she really needs to watch her back ! I think what I found most interesting and unique was the simple fact that the general population have absolutely no idea what is really going on and as this ends there are so many possibilities that in spite of my reservation about the romance I really will lookout for the next book.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.25/5
I really liked this book! What a great debut to a new series and for an author pair! I have been wanting to get back into reading fantasy, and this was a great way to do that.

I really enjoyed the various topics an themes throughout the book, with a faction of people who are branded due to the sins of their parents and the way they navigate through life because of those brands: the way they are treated, the way they grow up, the jobs they can find, etc. Fia, our FMC is one of these branded, marked for a betrayal that she didn't even commit.

I also really enjoyed the magic system in this book, as I thought that it was unique with powers that were unique. The way the authors spend time explaining how they work made me really buy in to the whole system and made it believable. The variety of powers that people can have and the variety of strengths that they can have adds to the complexity of the system and to the sheer strength of the team of people we spend time with.

The pacing of the book was really well done as well. I never felt bored and was always looking forward to what was coming next, while still being told that there was a jump in time between chapters that helped me buy in to our FMC, her powers, her training, and everything else. Nothing felt rushed and nothing felt too slow.

I enjoyed our MMC, Laryk, as well. I thought that the romance was well done and I liked the way that it built up over time and almost sneaks up on you, but it never felt wrong. I liked that he was willing to train her to control her powers, but wasn't her main trainer for the Faction. Even though he wanted to use her as a weapon, that is a pretty common thing in a fantasy novel and I was okay with it. Especially once he started to show some of his colors and be considerate of her needs. I am withholding being completely on board as it is only the first book and I have learned my lesson too many times lol.

The ensemble cast is really great! From Fia's friendships with the other branded, the trainees that she befriends, and the various leaders she interacts with, I was looking forward to each interaction and learning more about each person. They were all interesting and unique, and I really enjoyed the character work done on each of them. Brava! I am so used to being able to draw parallels between characters of the ensemble of various series, so this was a nice way to break the cycle and have something fresh.

The twist at the end was not what I was expecting, which is pretty unusual for me! I'm pretty good at predicting where things are going, so I am super excited to see where this series is going especially the ramifications of that twist, and I cannot wait for the next book to come out. I will definitely be continuing this series.

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!!
I thought waiting until now would be a perfect time to write this review. I currently have settled on a 4 star for this book but overtime and as I sit and think about the characters I can see this rating growing.
Its not often I start a fantasy book and can automatically tell that it will be a high rating for me. Usually there is a lot of world building which makes it hard for me to get into the book but this was not the case. You are sucked right into the story and action, Fia shows her personality right from the first page and you learn about her powers/inner battles. You meet both main characters and are introduced to a side (I want to call her a main character) character, along with some history to the story/plot.

General Ashford hits grumpy right on the head, these two are definitely enemies to lovers. Between their encounters at the balls, comments made during training at the gym, and like Fia mentioned seeing cracks in his exterior and catching glimpses of a different General, you are going to fall in love with these characters and the tension between them.

Watching Fia start off as a girl going through so much was just what I needed, she felt real to me. Between battling her inner thoughts, trying to please Osta, Ma, and stick to what she believes along with her new assignment (trail to join the guard and learn how to control her focus) made it really easy to get sucked into this story. I fell in love with the Isle of Sidhe and am already waiting for this second book.

*ARC received from Netgalley - all opinions are my own*

TL;DR: Really enjoyed despite me having a few gripes with the plot! Riftborne would be best suited to those looking for an easier, almost YA, feeling fantasy. Definitely recommend and can’t wait for the sequel!

| 3.5 (rounded up to 4)

Review:
If I took away the romance, Riftborne was a very solid 4-star book and a solid start to the series but felt like the romance has potentially let it down a little for me.

As I said, as a purely fantasy book, I loved it! It was a bit of a simpler read but still really enjoyable with some interesting history we’re learning about throughout the book and a magic system that really has my interest. I liked that the authors have given each of the “classes” of powers different manifestations of said powers.

The romance, however, I wasn’t a massive fan of unless General Laryk turns out to not be the intended love interest, which I personally hope he isn’t. He comes across as very cold and unfeeling towards Fia throughout the entire book and on the few occasions where he is showing some sort of feeling for her, it comes across as very power hungry and wanting to own her as opposed to genuine love. I think he could potentially feel like he may have feelings for her but honestly think it’s her power that he’s attracted to and getting to know a way to crack her - Laryk actually mentions something similar during their training sessions. I’m really hoping for a different love interest in the future, especially given certain plot points at the end.

Aside from my issues with the romance, my oly other gripe is how Fia seemingly “gets over” her hatred of the Aossi and just sweeps all the discrimination she and the other Riftborne have faced aside when she meets a handful of people who don’t discriminate against her. Nevermind the fact that she tries to twist it to be “Ma” planting that in her head. Very bizarre that anyone could get over that so quickly.
Overall, despite my couple of flaws with Riftborne, I did thoroughly enjoy reading it and I’m very excited for the next book to see how things progress, especially with the ending happening the way it did!! Definitely recommend!

(Also final, more personal, side note on the romance - the authors state that Laryk is an Xavier to Fia’s Dark Phoenix which doesn’t make things clearer to me as a lover of both the X-Men movies and the comics. Nevermind that that’s a bit of a complicated and contested topic in the fandom so?? Regardless, Laryk hasn’t endeared me to him at all but only time will tell and I have my own theories for what will happen next!)

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶 / 5

✨ Enemies to lovers
✨ Found family
✨ Only one tent
✨ He's her superior
✨ Jealous / posessive MMC
✨ Wallflower FMC

I LOVED this one!!

What I loved:
Fia will be immensely relatable to the wallflowers out there, especially those who sway more toward the realistic/pessimistic side. But if you're ever the optimist, you'll probably be frustrated by her POV. I absolutely loved her journey of self-acceptance so far, the growth in just the first book tells me that while there is an insanely interesting plot, the story is also incredibly character driven as well.

The world building flows without info dumps or dragging the reader through unwieldy monologues. I am so incredibly excited to learn more about the history and dive deeper into the plot in the next books! This book kept me on the edge of my seat and when I wasn't able to read, all I wanted to do was pick it up and finish it.

I also adored the strong female friendships, namely with Osta, Raine, and Ma. I wish we got more Dravyn and more about their time training and learning. I'd love to have seen those relationships develop even more.

What I didn't love:
Laryk's hair. Oh my god, I need a fantasy love interest with short hair, PLEASE. I also feel like this is the second love interest I've read about in the past month that had long red hair and I'm...not here for it.

I also really didn't like how Briar flipped from being a friend/ally to being a jealous man child? Like, we get it - Ashford is hot. Clearly Briar wants to bone him too, but calling out his teammate like that was gross and I hate that their issues weren't resolved in this book, though I'm hoping that's intentional and it will be important in the next book.

Cooed. This word is used WAY too often in the book. Why is everyone cooing? Stop with the cooing.

Some of the descriptive choices were odd - certain words would be chosen to describe how someone said something, but the very next paragraph would give their attitude/emotions a different picture. It pulled me out of the story each time and this was a story that I fully immersed myself into, so it was a bit jarring.


Overall though, this was one of the best ARCs I've read in a while and I already know that I'm going to have a massive book hangover from this one!

If you enjoyed Fourth Wing, I think you'll enjoy this one quite a bit! I'd also recommend it for fans of ACOTAR and FBAA.

And yes, while there are some similarities to Fourth Wing (namely a rebellion and kids of the rebellion members being "marked" along with a war school) I don't consider those similarities to be bad or indicative of anything. War schools and rebellions are pretty common in fiction, not to mention real life history, and there's definitely real world precedent of wanting to identify and isolate "outsiders" IRL too. The plot is different enough, interesting enough, and compelling enough to stand on its own. But if you liked Fourth Wing I can't imagine you wouldn't also like Riftborne.

This book was so. good.
I cannot even begin to say how much I enjoyed this book and yet I will TRY. Riftborne had a very cool magic system and yet not overly complicated to understand. Fia was such an interesting character because she so clearly wants to just live her life and be unbothered and yet she cannot seem to escape her power. Very much a true "greatness thrust upon them" type hero. Watching her transform and strengthen her skills was intriguing and exciting.
Great enemies to lovers plot line but also [ THAT TWIIIIST at the end. Had me shook and gasping.
The worst part about reading this book was realizing it was book ONE of a TRILOGY. So I will simply be refreshing the authors' page waiting for book two.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️🌶️

I just finished this book and I devoured it in a day!
I'm so impressed and I am needing book 2!
It has all the tropes but in a new and refreshing way. Plot twists are wonderful and the character development for the MFC is fantastic!
Enemies to Lovers Forced Proximity
Magic xx Training
Plot Twist
Dash of Spice
Mind the Cliff
I received the eARC from ONYX publishing through NetGalley for my honest review.
Thank you ONYX! I loved it!

I was drawn in from the beginning. The characters, the world, the BANTER. This book kept me wanting to read more. The relationships are so real the change in the FMC made sense and weren't just "overnight". The revelations/twists I did not see coming from the beginning. The cliff we find ourselves on at the end? Perfect spot to end the book even if my reader heart wants MORE NOW. Please.

If you are debating this book, don't. Pick it up and start reading. I highly doubt anyone would ever regret it.

Thank you Netgally, Bree Grenwich, and Parker Lennox for the ARC!

This book 😮 it had everything I love. It’s fast paced, gripping, me gasping 😂 the growth within the FMC Fia was on point.
Not to sure about her chemistry of her and MMC but that might just be me 😂
Riftborne made me forget that I was reading and made me feel like part of the story and that ending 😮
I cannot to grab a physical copy as a trophy 🤩

•RIFTBORNE•

by Bree Grenwich & Parker Lennox
Pub. 9/3/2024 (UPCOMING RELEASE)
•💅🏼💅🏼💅🏼 (3️⃣ manis)•

Thanks to @netgalley, #onyxpublishing and the authors for the advance digital copy!) 🐍

Hey friends 👋🏻! RIFTBORNE is a new romantasy novel coming out in early September. I really enjoyed the world built within this novel - a realm based on the author's adventures and the fun of playing D&D with their friends, which I love! It's great to see authors channeling their many passions into their work.

I liked the unique magic system that was created and explored and I liked several of the characters a lot, but found others to be a bit less “likeable”, but in a way I think is intentional for the characters to show an arc.

This first book in the Esprithian Trilogy feels like a setup for more exciting adventures in the subsequent two novels. While I enjoyed it, I felt a little disconnected from the ending. Perhaps it's due to my own expectations of what we would get out of this first book in the trilogy.

I think the book stood decently well on its own, but wish there was a more fully cohesive message. It offers good commentary on the class divide and the military industrial complex, showing how some choices are forced upon us and affect those we care about. The book also highlights the importance of communication and empathy. However, I hope that the other books will provide a more comprehensive "POV" on certain aspects. Maybe on a reread, I’ll feel differently!

With other tropes like “enemies to lovers” and “forbidden romance” embedded, lovers of dark fantasy and some spice will likely enjoy this one 🌶️ 💖 ✨.

See the synopsis on slide 2 and the QR code to a curated Spotify playlist by the authors on slide 3!

Excited to see who reads this one and to chat more about it in September! 💚🩶🖤

DNF at 63%

I got very excited to read this book at the very beginning of it, thanks to the decree put as a first chapter. I thought it really set the scene of the social climate. Unfortunately, 60% in, I still don't understand the world : in what sort of society are we? in what period are we (middle ages, renaissance,...)? I was just lost.
I also thought we should have had another chapter before the first one to get to know our main character before the action starts, but it wouldn't have changed anything because I still don't know Fia as well as I should 60 % in the book.
Now, the fact that I knew who the love interest was from the first chapter made me laugh. It isn't a negative point, but he was introduced so early in the story, I just had to laugh. But we don't know anything about him, so why does Fia want to jump his bones? No idea.
We need to talk about dynamics, especially between Fia and the General : she's supposed to hate him/be afraid of him and yet she talks to him as if he was just an arrogant boy from school. And he just drops his mask almost instantly before her. Where is the yearning? Also, they never really talked so why is there a strong attraction between them? I'm absolutely not on board with this relationship.
Generally, I love when there is a training bit in a book. Here, it just wasn't appealing, like I didn't care. Also, the Lieutenant isn't even respected by his recruits, which is weird I think.
Am I gonna talk about the character of Ma? You know, that unsufferable, selfish, borderline abusive person? No, I won't spend more time thinking about her.
In summary, I just felt left down by this book, who had such good premise.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 stars
🌶️🌶️ spice

Why you should read it:
✨Military/War College Setting
✨Army General x Outcast/child of the rebellion recruit
✨Forbidden Romance
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Elite force for those with rare powers
✨Found Family
✨Slow burn

Favourite Quote:
"I was his, utterly and irrevocably. His weapon. His lover. His salvation. And then I knew. I would cripple armies, break minds if that's what he desired."

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, you can never trust a redhead in a fantasy book.

And there are too many redheads for just one plot twist in this series…I’m suss about you Laryk, you’d better not fuck with my girl Fia. Is he a reformed playboy or is he up to his old tricks? Time will tell.

This book was the slow burn of all slow burns, I couldn’t tell half the time if anything was going to happen and them BAM! Ooft, it was worth the wait.

Overall the pace started quite slow but it felt ok for the narrative to have the character development breathe a little bit to start off. The action really ramped up in the last quarter of the book, and although it was lighter on the world building, it feels like there's so much to come for book 2 on that front given the big old McTwist at the end.

And then you threw old smoldery gold eyes at me?! I honestly can’t tell what’s going to happen in this series and it’s legitimately thrilling.. I can’t wait to read the next book!

I love a good read that leaves me breathless, questioning my moral compass, and wanting more! I was completely captivated by Fia—her deep love for her closest friends, her wild and wayward hair, and her fierce yet fearful spirit. Her growth and changing perspective, along with the increasing pace of storytelling, made this an easy, engaging, and intriguing read. I appreciated the layers of world-building and the straightforward magic system, and I was especially grateful for the pronunciation guide! It’s funny to think that it was actually the book cover that drew me in—such a cool graphic! I’m super grateful for the opportunity to read this, NetGalley and Onyx Publishing. Please don’t leave us hanging too long for the next one, Bree Grenwich and Parker Lennox!

I found this book extremely challenging to get through at times. My biggest issue is that the female main character, Fia, comes across as incredibly immature, often jumping to conclusions. I found the side characters far more likable.

The enemies-to-lovers trope was present(ish?), but it felt more like a misunderstanding. Fia's judgments of Laryk seemed based on her assumptions rather than any real conflict between them. Their relationship felt underdeveloped; they hardly spend any time together, and most of their interactions are summed up in a few paragraphs during Fia’s training. It would have been nice to see more organic relationship building between them.

The relationship between Fia and Ma also felt off. Instead of providing guidance, Ma's approach seemed childish, resorting to silent treatment for much of the book.

While I enjoyed the writing for the most part, certain word choices, like "cringey," pulled me out of the story and detracted from my overall experience.
The pacing was another issue; it wasn't well-balanced. I frequently forgot that the characters were Elven-like, "Aossi", until the occasional reminder about their pointy ears. I wish the story had focused more on world-building, history, and religion, which felt underdeveloped.

Overall, I'm giving this book 3 stars. The story itself was interesting, but it could have been executed better, and I found myself putting it down often. That said, the story has potential, and I’m hoping the next installment will be better. I will give the second book a chance when it becomes available, as it left on an interesting cliffhanger.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Onyx publishing for the ARC!

No direct spoilers.

**Over all, wonderful writing, underdeveloped in some aspects of the story and relationships, but knowing some of my questions will be answered in due time in the next books I would recommend it.**

I would consider this book to be a mashup of Hunger Games, Divergent, and Fourth Wings if I had to choose comparisons. Fourth wing and divergent in that those with powers being divided up and utilized by the military to fight. Hunger games only due to a rebellion and leaving the people on the losing side seen as less than and branded for their association.

First and foremost the writing was beautiful. Descriptive, and perfectly done. Where some books run on with descriptions and inner monologue, I feel like Riftborne could have given me MORE. I still have no real understanding of why there was a rebellion, Fia and Laryk’s romance seemed to come out of no where. One chapter he was a manipulative enemy with no redeeming qualities, and the next interaction it was filled with lust and jealousy. I would have liked to see more building up to it. However, the other relationships I felt like were developed perfectly and I would protect Osta with my life. The last third of the book is where the story really ramps up and kept me more engaged. I didn’t see the spoiler coming. I had reservations about whether or not I would read the next book but I’m hooked now and will be picking it up.

I was super excited for this book based on the premise of the story. I loved the fact that Fia had powers and her character had room for a lot of development which is exactly what I saw throughout this book. She goes from someone timid and scared to really finding herself and power. It was nice to see such a change.

This book was a bit difficult for me to get into. There were times that I put it down and I might have just been in a reading rut at the time but, I wasn't itching to pick it back up. I thought there were some seems that were a bit unnecessary and her friendship with Osta, although sweet, at the time didn't seem like it brought much to the story besides being something too keep her in line with general ashford.

I didn't think that the relationship between Fia and General Ashford really make sense given he was gone for a good portion of the book. I would have like to see more scenes with them. Instead when we finally got to their biggest scene together it just seemed rushed an a little out of place given the situation and timing.

I greatly appreciate being sent an Arc and being able to give some honest feedback. Thank you to Netgalley, ONYX publishing and the writers of this book.

I love love loved this story!
The cliffhanger was well done, I’m itching for the next book!
I read this book in 2 sittings.
Fia is a relatable character and the tension between her and the general is so good! I can’t wait to see what happens with their relationship or if it doesn’t happen. The magical special ops is also another thing I love, it’s not like anything I have read yet!

Very well done and engaging book.

In Riftborne, by Bree Greenwich and Parker Lennox, our FMC, Fia Riftborne, is a lower-class woman, who works in an apothecary as an assistant to the very wise and knowledgeable woman who runs it. When asked to make a delivery during a party, Fia encounters a problem with some classic mean girls and as a result, her magic is unloosed, bringing her to the attention of the dashing MMC, General Laryk Ashford. Ashford discovers Fia’s secret and believes he can cure her, or at least help her gain control of her magic, but not for free. Fia must join the military in order to pay back the General for his help. Fia and her friends are from another region, and are looked down upon in society, given the worst jobs, etc. Fia being in the military is not something that is done and she tries to avoid joining up with those who killed her family and friends. Eventually, Fia is given no choice but to join up with the military and finds new friends and a family there. She is in contact with General Ashford quite a lot and begins to discover that she has feelings for him, despite the fact he wants to use her magic as a weapon. As Fia progresses through her military training, the General shows a dedicated interest in the training and the results of her training trials, particularly because a new threat has emerged that the General believes only Fia can combat. When the new enemy begins to threaten the country, Ashford takes Fia, in her new role as Initiate, to fight the forces, along the way declaring his love for her. Fia’s work with the apothecary gives her a new idea of how to combat the evil forces that she attempts just before the cliffhanger leading to book 2.

There is an element of insta-love that is represented as enemies to lovers, but the enemies’ part is not that evident. Fia is a strong female character who never takes what is given her but fights for more always. The plot is similar to those of Divergent and the Hunger Games, but it is done with a twist of magic. The book was easy to read and did not drag. It is a slow-burn romance fantasy. And those who like enemies to lovers, slow romance, internal magic systems and military themes will enjoy the book. This book is a new-adult romantasy and it is exactly as it is billed.

I gave the book 4 stars and will read the sequel when it is released, because I must know the ending to the cliffhanger.

Overall, this is a good book and is a fun read for those of the romantasy genre

Thank you to NetGalley and Onyx Publishing for the ARC.

Lately romantasy has been disappointing lately. I don't think I have read a romantasy book in the last two years that was different from any previous ones. I get that it is hard to create new things when there are so many books already out there.
Riftborne was so identical to Fourth Wing that at times I felt like I was reading Fourth Wing. The romance is different from fourth wing in some ways but for the most part it's the same. General Laryk was only interested in Fia because she was powerful and he can't use his magic on her and because she is hot. There is no chemistry between them, except sexual. I believe the stranger from Ravenfell is going to be her mate or something like that, and General Laryk isn't endgame.
I felt like at times the book was YA because of the dialogue and the character traits. Fia was in the middle of something big and life changing, and all she cared about was her friends and of course, drooling over the General. She reminded me of Violet a lot and General Laryk reminded me of Xaden.
I think fans of fourth wing will either love this or hate it.