I had no idea what to expect with this book, but I was ENTHRALLED. I read it in less than 24 hours, and can’t stop thinking about it. The magic system was so unique, and the characters were so well described. I found myself connecting with the characters and their emotions. When they were anxious, I was anxious! When they were happy, I was happy! Five stars all around!

3.5 rounded up to 4 because reading This Rotting Heart made me curious about the other books of "Seasons of Legends"

What's it about?

A reimagining of Hades and Persephone but with roles reversed. Hades as a Sun Elf and Persephone obsessed with death.

Hellebore wants nothing more than to walk in her Aunt's footsteps and become alchemist to the King.
But she is abruptly kidnapped by the Sun Elf King, Taiyo.
Believing her family have married her off and not being worthy of the alchemist title, she sets about adjusting to her life as wife and Queen.

Taiyo needs her help. He is dying. There is a Rot curse that is killing him and the Sunrise Iris: flowers that hold the Kingdom's source of magic and their symbolism of marriage and union.

Hellebore leaps at the chance of proving her skill as alchemist to reverse the Rot. If she has to be married against her wishes, she can at least practice her alchemy.
But not only does she need to save the Iris's and the kingdom, she needs to find a way to save the King. The King she is falling for.

Thoughts:

Easy reading - and a fun imagining.

I didn't like Hellebore to start with but I loved her development. She just seemed annoyingly whiny to begin with and then as she discoverers her purpose she takes strides in taking charge and is much more resilient.

I actually thought the no spice element worked really well. It was suggestive, passionate and explored the relationship between the characters as we watch their relationship develop.

The author portrayed the characters really well - and it was a little emotional in places.
I loved the colours of the Sun Elf Kingdom and how the author built the Kingdom's folklaw around the Iris into the story.

It was a solid story and enjoyable to read.

This was a quick heartwarming fantasy romance that I enjoyed! I just finished Ties of Starlight this morning and started this straight after (yes I read it in under 12 hours) and I loved the little cameo of the main couple from that book!
This Rotting Heart is a Persephone and Hades reimagining – and you know that sometimes these can go very wrong for me on the toxicity of the relationship but this one didn’t! The main element of a Persephone x Hades retelling is that the fmc is kidnapped and made to marry the mmc which can be a lot for me to get over – but I did for this one!
That the personality traits of the two were switched, the fmc was the death obsessed one and the mmc was the Sun king was such a gorgeous little touch which is why I love reading this myth and fairytale reimagining’s.

Romantic Content: a few kisses, no detail!

I loved this book so much! Classic enemies to lovers. I enjoyed that Helleborne was an independent woman who didn’t depend on others to accomplish what she saw fit. She was such a strong willed and determined FMC. I loved the fantasy elements of this book and how humans could harness the ability to make their own magic. I would love to see their story continued!

This reminds me of the Married to Magic series by Elise Kova but with a darker gothic twist. Overall, it's well written and definitely gives you a good enemies-to-lovers story.

Celeste Baxendell delivers an enchanting romantasy in This Rotten Heart, blending romance and fantasy into a fast-paced, addictive read. Though short, the story is packed with enough depth to make you fall in love with both main characters.

The romance is beautifully developed, balancing tension, banter, and emotional depth. The characters feel alive, their chemistry undeniable, and the world-building—while not overly complex—sets the perfect stage for their story. The book wastes no time on unnecessary fluff, making every moment count.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story! It definitely has Hades and Persephone vibes just without any kind of underworld/afterlife, which was a fun twist! And the romance was really well written and well paced in my opinion, while still being no spice. SO it's perfect to have YA readers on the younger age side as an audience.

If you’re looking for a quick but satisfying romantasy that hooks you from the first page, This Rotten Heart is a fantastic choice. It’s the kind of book you devour in one sitting and immediately wish for more!

Thanks to NetGAlley for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love the concept of alchemy, plant science, and magic, and the book description and other reviews had me so intrigued and excited for this. I must be an outlier however, because this book didn’t work for me. The action and details were confusing because so many descriptions felt choppy. There were repetitive words and sentences that were too long, yet with the details given I couldn’t picture the characters or the setting. The writing style seemed like it was trying to be casual, maybe humorous at times, and it didn’t work for me. Unfortunately, this all led me to lose interest in the story and could not finish reading it.

4.5 (thanks netgalley for the arc!)

my first book from this author and as much as I dislike books that are too fast paced especially when they’re standalone this one hit the spot
I loved these characters and this universe it melted my heart from the start
very good if you want a fast paced but still high stakish story with banter!!

This Rotting Heart wasn’t overly what I thought it might be. However I really loved Hellebore, such an interesting name for a main character, and her intelligence and smarts. She definitely wasn’t as emotionally aware as I would have hoped but her love story was wonderful to experience. I would recommend this book for the plot and the sweetness to it as well.

Thanks to NetGalley, Victory Editing and Celeste Baxendell for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

THIS ROTTING HEART is a novel about not just one, but two rotting hearts - one literally and one figuratively. When Princess Hellebore is kidnapped by a Sun Elf while on a hunt for a forbidden Sun Iris, she finds out that she is not a prisoner, but a betrothed. All she wants is to be the King's Alchemist to her brother, future king, so it's a matter of luck when the king of Sun Elves, Taiyo, reveals that was precisely why he demanded her hand in marriage. His kingdom is dying, and Hellebore, the alchemist, is the only one who can save it.

This book had me kicking my feet and giggling like a teenager. Celeste Baxendell created characters that feel so vivid, so real, and so embarrassing at times, it was incredible. I adored the dynamic between Hellebore and Taiyo. They're a slow burn in the best way possible, and Hellebore's denial of her feelings was the funniest. Like, girl, we know. We can tell. I love you, though. Other characters were great but few, even if Aunt Palladia got on my nerves from the moment she spoke. The plot twists were predictable but great nonetheless, and I loved the mythology behind the sun irises.

I'll be honest - the only reason why this isn't a five-star is because it could've been better. There's still improvement. A few times the squabbles between Taiyo and Hellebore felt forced, too, and I wish we'd gotten a little more explanation for how alchemy (in-universe magic) worked. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but I know it could've been even better, and for that reason alone it has to be four stars. I'd still recommend it to everyone wanting an easy read, elvish romance!

The Rotting Heart is an excellent clean fantasy novel! I’ve never read a fantasy book quite like this one before. The FMC, Hellebore, is a spitfire alchemist’ who is very career driven. She’s strong, funny, and perfectly blunt! She is not a damsel in distress. She is a hero who takes destiny into her own hands and changes the fate of a nation.

The plot twists in this story genuinely had me pins and needles.

Absolutely brilliant read!

Video reviews on TikTok and Instagram can be found by searching kikiinkc.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Im not going to lie, I almost DNF’d this book multiple times. The writing was a little hard to get into for about the first 20%. Then after that, it felt like a completely different story and writing style. I did end up enjoying it overall. I do wish that the characters had a little more depth and purpose. The two man characters went from supposedly hating each other to flirting and cuddling too quickly. I think that if the author added a little more explanation and reasoning in the beginning, then that would make sense. Plus, Hellebore was just resigned to her fate without trying to fight it at all. That part didn’t make sense to me. The synopsis also said that she was obsessed with death. I didn’t get that feeling while reading it. However, like I stated earlier, I did end up enjoying this story overall for what it was. The concept was interesting. I would consider trying another one of this author’s books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and the author for providing me with an advance copy of This Rotting Heart in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. No spoilers.

This Rotting Heart was the first book I read in the Seasons of Legend series, but it can be read as a standalone. I never felt like I was missing out on any information. The worldbuilding was amazing, I can't wait to learn more about the Elves in the other books. This story was addicting – natural enemies on account of who they are, forced marriage (in name only! no SA), plot twists, and a slow-burn romance.

I loved this book, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes romance set in a beautiful fantasy world.

This book was AMAZING. I loved it, the alchemists , Sun Elves ,Moon elves ,night elves!! A little shorter than I was used to by this author, but it was AMAZING , the characters , the writing style, i loved it. However there was one thing , it says that it is a hades and persephone retelling , but to me it felt more like beauty and the best. Age i would say 12 to 13 , content has a few kisses ,mentions blood , rot. Overall I give this book 4.7 stars out of 5.

⭐ **4.5/5 Stars**

Celeste Baxendell delivers an enchanting romantasy in *This Rotten Heart*, blending romance and fantasy into a fast-paced, addictive read. Though short, the story is packed with enough depth to make you fall in love with both main characters.

The romance is beautifully developed, balancing tension, banter, and emotional depth. The characters feel alive, their chemistry undeniable, and the world-building—while not overly complex—sets the perfect stage for their story. The book wastes no time on unnecessary fluff, making every moment count.

If you’re looking for a quick but satisfying romantasy that hooks you from the first page, *This Rotten Heart* is a fantastic choice. It’s the kind of book you devour in one sitting and immediately wish for more!