Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, with wonderful world-building and well-developed characters. The suspense was perfect—I couldn’t stop reading mid-chapter. I also loved the blend of humour, especially when she and Alder were fighting. They really make a good pair.

Read Full Review on my blog (Hani's Daily Life) right here: https://obasinaomi.wordpress.com/2025/05/03/book-review-the-arrow-and-the-alder-by-barbara-kloss/

Posted on the 6th of May 2025

This is a YA, enemies-to-lovers, fantasy romance with Robin Hood vibes. This book has strong, well-developed characters and an interesting story line that keeps you turning the pages. Great characters that make the story come alive. Pain and passion radiate from them. The plot draws you in so that you can’t put the book down because you need to know what will happen next. This review is based on an early review copy I was sent by the publisher, but this didn't affect the content of my review that I am voluntarily providing.

Barbara Kloss’s storytelling is absolutely magical. This book was fast paced, immersive, lyrical, and overall enchanting! From the first turn of the page I was hooked. An atmosphere of mists, shadows, dark creatures, and two worlds divided battling an ancient curse…say less!

Josephine was a great FMC. Fierce, determined, and never willing to quit on those she loves. Our MMC, Alder was a classic brooding prince, forced to face down his own past and personal demons. Together they create the perfect balance and have wonderful chemistry.

Overall the Arrow and the Alder is a lovely tale filled with mystery and magic, love and betrayal, sacrifice and redemption. Thank you Barbara Kloss and NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this read!

I am truly impressed! This book was my first read from Barbara Kloss and I absolutely loved it. The author's style is great and the flow was so smooth I've read this book super quick.

I love the fact that we have a romantasy book without any spice, which is a big change from what I have been reading lately (and from what the trend is currently), so it gets extra points for that.

A nice, refreshing standalone book, with characters that are not too much -like it is often the case in fantasy reads- and a slow burn romance that I have swoon over. 😍

The world is beautiful, with descriptions that come to life very vividly in my head that made me actually feel very peaceful, wanting to just visit the forest and be calm there. 🤭

I will definitely read more books from Barbara, as I have absolutely adored this one.

Overall, this was a pretty standard and somewhat mediocre fantasy novel.

The first few chapters are almost criminally similar to ACOTAR, but from there it diverges into a more unique story.

<b>Tell me, does this setup sound a little familiar?</b>

A town is plagued by its proximity to a cursed magical land. The FMCs family is starving so she hunts illegally in the woods to feed them (including her naive but sweet sister who is courting a rich but hateful boy in town. *cough* Elaine *cough*). One day, while the FMC is hunting she comes across a magical animal and attempts to kill it. From that day on her life forever changes as she is forced into the magical realm.

To be fair, I did leave out some details there, and once the FMC (Seph) goes into the other world the story no longer closely resembles ACOTAR.

As the story went on there were some literary successes and some pitfalls.

Personally, <b>I found the romance to be a miss</b>. I would rate it maybe like a 2.5/5. It wasn’t poorly written per se, I just felt unattached to their romance and it felt very rushed. There was a very weird emphasis on virginity, which was an ick. And god the last 20 pages made me roll my eyes — hard.

Another neglected aspect was Seph’s tie to her family. After she left for the magical world it was like she stopped caring about her family at all — that her little sister was ill or the fact that before Seph left she was the only one feeding her family?? Like they were starving and circumstances did not change??

And when it came to the action/magic, like with many fantasy final scenes, the plot got pretty abstract towards the end. I won’t provide details to leave this spoiler free, but I felt like it lost the plot a bit.

That being said, <b>I did for the most part enjoy the book</b>. It was captivating and the world building (which is no easy task in fantasy novels) was pretty good. <b>Not sure if I would recommend this book, but I wouldn’t write it off completely either.</b>

Barbara Kloss has crafted an immersive fantasy that pulled me in from the very first page. "The Arrow & the Adler" follows Josephine (Seph), a resilient huntress trying to provide for what remains of her family while the men are off fighting a war. When the High Lord comes seeking an enchanted coat that mysteriously appears in her possession, Seph refuses to surrender it without answers—a decision that catapults her into the cursed kingdom of the immortal kith.

The worldbuilding is truly atmospheric. Kloss creates a vivid contrast between the struggling mortal lands and the mysterious, mist-shrouded kith kingdom. I could practically feel the oppressive gray of the cursed realm and the dangerous forests where Seph hunts. The attention to sensory details makes every setting come alive.

The relationship between Seph and Alder (the disgraced prince) develops with a perfect slow-burn tension. Their banter is genuinely entertaining, and watching their reluctant alliance evolve feels earned rather than forced.

This closed-door romantasy strikes an excellent balance between character development, world-building, and romance without relying on explicit content. The book stands perfectly as a standalone while creating a rich world I'd gladly return to.

If you enjoy fantasy with strong, capable heroines, complex heroes with hidden depths, and worlds where the line between good and evil blurs beneath layers of secrets and curses, "The Arrow & the Adler" deserves a place on your TBR list.

pretty well written romance. the kith setting was fairly well-trodden but always felt fresh in Kloss's hands and the chemistry was strong. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

What an absolutely stunning story. I felt like I was reading a bedtime fairytale in the best way possible.

Josephine is such a badass. Alder is so dreamy. Josephine and Alder work together to figure out how to unleash a coats powers to help save the lands. Beautiful storytelling!

How far would you go to save your family? Things aren't always what they seem. In a cursed world with time running out, Seph must make some hard decisions. I love the tie in to Married by Treachery. I saw someone make a comment about the ending. These stories are exactly what we need at times. Overcoming your past. About perseverance. Seeing things through even though it may cost us.

Barbara Kloss is a wonderful storyteller. This book had me hooked from the start, where we meet our FMC Seph (Josephine), trying to provide for her family. Her brothers and father are off fighting a war brought on by another Kind. This book has many layers of secrets that only reading will help to unfold.

Archer, the MMC, has been missing for the last few years, to the point where he is now believed to be the leader of the depraved (bad dark creatures). His story is consistently unfolding as you cannot just unpack his last few years in one chapter.

One thing that I really enjoyed about this book is that the prose does not heavily rely on the magic system and our FMC coming into her powers. While there is something special about Seph, her battles and training are still combat based. Her archery skills are solid. She does not learn battle combat fighting at a disadvantage against those with stronger or advanced magical abilities. This gave me more Robin Hood esc vibes, which I really enjoyed.

As we see political world dynamics come face to face with lies and deception, we get to see how the previous choice to choose love over everything altered this realm to near devastation. But I promise, the lore of this world will not let you down.

J'ai eu la chance de découvrir cette histoire en avant première et j'en suis ravie. Je connaissais déjà la plume de l'autrice et j'ai pris tout autant de plaisir à lire ce livre que les précédents ( Gods of men ).
En effet, on plonge dans un univers fantasy bien construit et riche où on fait connaissance de Seph, jeune humaine révoltée et forte, lutte pour sa survie et celle de sa famille. J'ai tout de suite aimé ce personnage féminin fort, indépendant et loyale. Elle affronte tout la tête haute même si elle est déstabilisée. Elle va pourtant avoir toute sa vie remise en question mais elle avance et se bat.
Alder est plus sombre, mystérieux même si on le découvre au fil des pages. Il a volé mon coeur rapidement avec sa lutte acharne pour tenir Seph à l'écart... Son passé le hante et il fait tout ce qu'il peut pour se racheter mais la tache n'est pas simple ...
L'autrice nous plonge dans une aventure passionnante qui est parvenue à me prendre à contre-pied quelques fois ( oui oui j'adore ça ! ) et qui fait mnter la tension jusqu'à la toute fin sans qu'on ne parvienne à deviner la suite des événements .
Le dénouement est spectaculaire et je ne m'y attendais pas du tout !!!

En bref : J'ai adoré ! Une bonne aventure fantasy avec un duo de personnage attachant et haut en couleur dans une quête périlleuse et imprévisible . La plume de l'autrice vous embarque dans cette histoire et ne vous laisse en sortir qu'en toute fin, hors d'haleine et comblée ... Coup de coeur

NOTE : 10 / 10

Barbara Kloss has a gift for delicate storytelling, while at the same time bringing monsters and drama to the stage. Her style remains spellbinding page after page, and I wasn't bored for a single minute while reading this story. The rhythm is perfect and the characters are so endearing that I'll never tire of discovering them a little more ;-) in my eyes, this story is a pure marvel that will conquer the hearts of readers eager for fantasy but also for sweetness.

pacing occasionally slows with dense descriptions and reflective moments, readers who savor immersive fantasy and introspective characters will find this to be a rewarding, thoughtful read. The ending strikes a perfect balance of bittersweet and hopeful, closing the story in a way that feels true to its core themes.

4.5*

Stand-alone, Dual POVs
A fast paced, enjoyable Romantasy
Alder & Seph ❤️

• Kith (Elf/Fae-ish)
• Kith & mortal realms
• The Depraved
• An enchanted coat
• A war of survival
• Light prevails

I want to start by saying that I don't write reviews often; this is the first in a very long time. I take reviewing these books from lesser known authors very seriously, so trust me when I say THIS BOOK IS WORTH EVERY PENNY! I loved it. I finished it in 2 days, but I definitely could have finished more quickly had life not had to take place.

"Hope, that abominable thing. Always clinging to dead things."
This line could encapsulate this books' entire journey.

Standalone. Tropes: Grumpy Sunshine, Banter, Reluctant Hero, Heir to the Throne, Rebellion, many more.

This is my first book from Barbara Kloss, an I am shocked I haven't read anything of hers before. The story follows Josephine, or Seph, a woman living in a land next to a fae kingdom where humans are taken for service in a war against monsters. She has lost most of her male family members, and her family is basically just trying to survive in a world where they have very little food and survive through grit. She encounters Marks who has had a ride of his own on the other side of the veil that separates the mortals from the fae. She is immediately drawn into him, starting the very slow burn giving the reader a romance everyone loves to gush over. It is a true Romantasy book with 0 spice. It gives Carissa Broadbent and Mary Pearson vibes, so if you are a fan of their writing, you will also enjoy this.

"Seph thought of her own bow, so crudely composed out of sheer willpower and desperation, just like her."

With lines like this, it is no wonder I fell into Seph's mind so quickly. I was drawn into Seph's world almost immediately. The world building and development of the FMC's character was all encompassing. I felt like I knew Seph, could feel her desperation and frustration as the book took me on multiple twists and turns. I felt her disgust, her fury, her pain. She is a strong, capable lead throughout the entire book.

The way Barbara writes is absolutely beautiful. I loved her prose and the way she described the setting. It was atmospheric in that I could literally picture the greyed out world across the veil, the dangerous forest she had to brave to hunt in, the grandiose buildings described throughout.
SO ATMOSPHERIC!

Marks vulnerability and character change is powerful to be taken through. He has his own battles to wage, but inadvertently ends up drawn into Seph by the fates.

"...he ignored the voice that told him to go the other way. To leave her alone. That he was a terrible danger to her. That watering this soil would not end in flowers but in brambles and star thistle, and yet he went to her anyway."

SWOON! I loved how it was a book about fae, but it was so deeply based on the flawed human condition of just being alive and making mistakes. You watch characters give grace to forgive and grow, and you feel as if you are watching it happen in real time.

And their banter was seriously top notch.

There were so many twists in this book, I never really knew where the book was heading because it was so unpredictable. I felt like whenever I wasn't reading, I was thinking about picking it up--unputdownable.
#netgalley #arrowandthealder

I have read books from this publisher many, many times, and I have yet to be disappointed. And I wasn’t this time.

The slow burn between Alder and Seph was immaculate and perfect. Like absolutely perfect. And when they finally did get together it was perfectly executed.

I had my suspicions about Seph from basically the first page, and I was right, but we all know I’m the worst person to gauge whether it was actually predictable or not. I don’t know how I always figure out the plot twists, but 99% of the time I do. Doesn’t mean they’re not well done.

I do appreciate how well the author wove everything together. There were a lot of moving parts, and there were parts I DIDN’T figure out, so that was good. And everything came together really well.

My only real critique of this book was that the ending seemed rushed. I feel like this should have been at least two books. There was a lot happening and unfurling and it almost seemed like the author just didn’t want to make it into two books.

I hope we actually get more from this universe, and there is a hint the author might be setting us up for more (they at least left the door open), so I’ll be excited to see where it leads.

This was a cute, whimsical read. I really enjoyed the storyline of this book and I adored the FMC. The MMC was also incredibly likable as well. I really enjoyed the twist within that story that really helped the story come together. This book features his and her POVs that were done very nicely.

🖤Enemies to lovers
🖤secret identities
🖤dual POV
🖤Magical Artifacts

Thank you for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The following review was posted to Goodreads on May 1, 2025:

"4.5 ⭐️

I absolutely devoured this book. This was everything I wanted from a YA romantasy standalone. At the start of the book it felt very "A Court of Thorns and Roses-adjacent" but it quickly took on a story all its own. My only critique was that the chapters didn't clearly label who was speaking and sometimes it took me reading a whole page or two to realize which character's point of view was being written.

The world building and magic system were both unique and excellent. Neither were too complex for a standalone but the author still did a wonderful job of crafting a new world all its own and bringing it to life for the reader.

The romance component was also so well done. Two characters inexplicably drawn to one another, with an excellent slow burn for the majority of the book. This is a closed door romance also, so no graphic spicy scenes.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of Arrow and the Alder -- I loved every minute of this book, truly. Romantasy lovers, you wont want to miss out on this one!"

The review can also be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7515697702

Truly loved this book - and have very little negative feedback. As referenced above, the only criticism I have is that it was challenging to determine which character's POV was being used in each chapter sometimes, and it might have been helpful to include the name of the character speaking at the start of the chapter. Other than that, truly this book was a gem and I will be recommending it to all of my romantasy loving friends!

✨ARC Review✨

The Arrow and The Alder by Barbara Kloss

This romantasy started a little slow for me, but it picked up about half way through. I love the lore and the world building. Also, I found the main characters interesting.

Seph was a great FMC. She loved her family dearly and knew what her responsibilities were. She took on the role of the head of the household because of the war in their realm and the kith’s. I respect FMCs who value their family because I can relate to them. The author did a great job developing Seph’s character throughout the novel.

Alder, meanwhile, sometimes felt flat. His secret did not seem to be a powerful conflict in the story. It seemed to have been glossed over. When his relationship with Seph became official, I started to like him more. He was caring and loving to Seph.

I wish that the book was a duology. I think that given more time, the characters and plot would have been more developed. The story wouldn’t have felt so rushed. Still, I enjoyed Seph’s character and her identity. Overall, I will still recommend this book to those who like romantasy novels with closed-door romance.

A truly spellbinding romantasy. It was really good, the first I have read from this author. The male mc was really fun.