The first chapter really pulls you in, and I like that towards the last few chapters it brings you right back - and it doesn't hint at it, it's literally word for word before the author then continues with the scene. You basically are living it through the FMC and it really was done well. It's just one example of the many of how illustrative and well-crafted the story in this book was. The characters were interesting, and the plot kept you going, wanting to know more as you were uncovering little nuggets throughout the book.

I will say that I was getting a little annoyed with being given some large hint to FMC's powers and what happened in the past, only for something or someone to interrupt it and then to be steered somewhere else. You didn't get back to that reveal or its fallout until another chapter or so later. It was like the answers to the main questions were constantly being pushed towards the end for a reveal to compel you to read all the subplots between.

I am very curious though with where we go from here in the next book, so I will be keeping an eye out. This is a really good fantasy book to throw yourself into, especially for reading challenges because it's extremely engaging, it has a good cast and story, and you can finish it in either a day or a week.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC

I appreciated the slow burn of this book, it felt appropriately paced and sets the stage for the future installments in the series. Cliffhanger definitely sucks you in and gets you antsy for the next copy - I love supporting debut authors and seeing what kind of creatives that can bring to the table. Power balance and tropes were appropriately utilized without feeling redundant.

Fantasy
Seers/Dragon Shifters/Gods
Political Intrigue
Book 1 in a series

This book was a perfect start to a new series from a debut author.
Asteria sees visions of death as a dark seer. Her kind is almost unheard of and not as revered as the prophets of the light.
Asteria sneaks out at night to find ingredients to make a potion she needs to induce visions to see inside the mind of a mysterious, dangerous man covered in beautiful tattoos. After reporting visions of murders involving the death of a marked one, the king puts the entire Kingdom on lockdown.
The marked ones are magically marked with a symbol in the neck to indicate which god their souls are to be sacrificed to. Asteria soon learns that she too has been marked.

Fans of Feyre and Rhys will appreciate the relationship between the main characters. World building was quite good and the characters are fantastic. The relationship blooms very slowly which is far more exciting to me. I can tell that there are good things to come in the series.
I highly recommend this for fantasy readers and I look forward to reading the rest of this series.
This is a huge must read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
A huge thank you to Netgalley and Cranthrope Millner Publishers for this e-arc.

Strong ACOTAR vibes combined with some classic gothic tales like Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

Our MFC, Asteria, is so creepy no one dares to look her in the eyes for too long. They seem to suck people in and make the, deeply uncomfortable. Added to that, she is pale and has disfiguring scars on her body. Not a particularly common person, even in a world where elves and faeries coexist. But by some events, she ends up with tall, dark, handsome, broody AND nice in the Night World, where things in quite typical fashion start unraveling threads, one by one.

What’s so good about Death & Divination is the mystery surrounding it all. We start out in the beginning of the book knowing what Asteria knows. Considering she’s an almost 500 year old seer able to see death and destruction, this is quite a lot. But, as it turns out, she doesn’t know herself very well, or so it seems. So we get to follow along on a very typical, but well-written journey where Asteria, and us through her, discovers more about the world she lives in.

Despite going in with so little knowledge, I never felt that the pacing was off. There’s a delicious tension between Asteria and the MMC that just keeps the plot moving along nicely even in the moments where they’re physically and geographically staying put.

I, for one, am very excited to see where this series ends up. Can’t wait to read on!

Thanks to Jadis Moon, Cranthorpe Millner and NetGalley for allowing me to read this great book!

This booked hooked me straight from the start!
From fae, prophecies, dragon shifters and the tension and yearning between our main characters I couldn’t finish this book fast enough.
This book is the first instalment of the series it leaves you wanting more. The slow burning through out this book with our MMC and his touch her and die vibes have you wanting them to just kiss already. It leaves us with more questions than answers and that cliffhanger? I was not ready. I will be impatiently waiting for the next one.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Prepare to Be Obsessed! A Must Read Dark Romantasy That Just Hits Different 😍

Wow, this book starts with arguably the best prologue I've ever read, immediately pulling you in. From that very first page, I was completely captivated and my interest never once wavered.

This isn't just a story; it's an enthralling journey packed with a truly unique magic system, intriguing prophecies, and a slow-burn romance that leaves you holding your breath. Plus, there are gods, fey, dragons...need I say more?!

This is a plot driven story, with hints of romance leaving plenty of room for that epic romantic payoff...and I am here for it! There were also moments I thought I had things figured out, only to be thrown a major curveball...absolutely brilliant!

I fell in love with Jadis Moon's writing instantly. She's such a talented storyteller, and the fact that this is her debut is just incredible. I'm already anticipating this series will become one of my "Roman Empires" of romantasy, the kind you constantly think about. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book and to see what else she creates!

Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: N/A
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

need more!

At first I was a little wary because the MMC was another shadow daddy but the world building, the magic system and the plot made up for the popular trope.

As I kept reading I had millions of questions burning in my mind. I enjoy that the magic system has consequences and not everyone is all powerfu it's a nice balance. It allows for very interesting power dynamics.

The romance is a slow burn and I am here for it! I am very curious to see these two characters open up to each other more

This story reads very similarly to one of my favorite duologies, One Dark Window and other works by Rachel Gillig. I am *VERY* eager to read more

A very impressive debut! Fantasy as a genre is hard to do well, but the world in Death and Divination was my favorite part. It was enchanting, lush, and slightly spooky - exactly what I like to reach for. My main concern was the pace of the novel. Some scenes felt a bit dragged, and I did not feel like the climax was as intense as it could have been. What I really enjoyed was the main character Asteria. I loved that she was not an 18 year old girl, and her romance with Nox is the most tortuous slow burn friends-to-lovers. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for book 2!

3.5 rounded up :)
Super fun read! I loved the magic systems and the different races of supernatural beings, and the character design is super cool! The author is also really sweet :)

I found the romance a little flat and predictable, but not obnoxiously so. I wish we had gotten to learn more of Asteria’s acclimation to her new world outside of her relationship with Nox, like if we got to see her notes or drawings about the botany that interests her.

I’ll definitely be on the look out for the next installments of this series!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Cranthorpe, and Jadis Moon for this ARC.

my review will be posted to amazon, storygraph, and twitter.

Asteria is a seer who wants to help the kingdom solve a series of murders. She is super curious often to her own detriment, however I don’t think she often knows the right questions to ask to get her answers. I liked her growth throughout the book. She learns to stand up for herself and I appreciated that. Then there is Nox. I love him and am obsessed. He is a shadow daddy death god with tattoos. He also is mysterious, broody but caring (just for her) and can cook. His secretiveness frankly just adds to his appeal for me. He is perfection. There are different types of prophets/seers and a unique magic system involving sacrifice and the gods. I need the next book ASAP because I am absolutely desperate to see what happens next!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Cranthorpe for this advance copy.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Death & Divination! I was intrigued by Asteria (our female main character) right from the start! I devoured this book in 24 hours and every time I thought I had figured the plot out along came another twist! This is a very interesting world and I can’t wait to see where the characters end up after that ending!

I need an elixir to recover from this book!

Asteria our awkward outsider was doing her best to fit into a world that did not understand her. She gave me Maevyth (Anathema) vibes, even more so with her solid group of friends who meant the world to her, even as they fitted perfectly into the world that was so unsure of her.

Her empathy may be seen as morally corrupted due to her treatment for hundreds of years. But sympathising with a murderer as she watches him unleash death didn't change my opinion on her.

This book put the slooow in slow burn but that just made any connection all the more exciting. We deserved that!

The story had twists I did not expect, a cinnamon roll of a MMC and left us on the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers!!

I devoured this book within a day and feel there will be a part of me missing until I read book 2!!

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

Magnificent slow-burn!

Asteria, our socially awkward, botanically interested fae FMC, who has the misfortune to be the only seer of death, has been tucked away in a temple for centuries. Her evening entertainment consists of ingesting magic mushrooms and seeing the world through the eyes of a killer.
Little does she know that with the coming thinning of the veil to the immortal lands her routines will suffer and she has to face death and madness.

Fae, dragonshifters, political, intrigue, imaginative world-building…I think he falls first, who did this to you, and a continuing slow-burn.
Damn, they did not even kiss.

A massive thanks for a FMC, who is not 25 but almost 500 years, with a matched MMC.
And yes, the male lead and his wingman smell of pine and cinnamon, how could I not love it.

Minor gripe is that the ending was such a cliffhanger and all in all I was left with more questions than answers.

Five stars from me, as I just had to read into the early morning hours…can’t wait for the sequel!

Death & Divination was a delightful and intriguing read.

We follow the main protagonist Asteria who struggles with feelings of belonging and has a complicated, flawed past. While the first chapter is bombastic in its approach (pulling you in), the resulting next handful of chapters assist in the world-building and revealing Asteria's relationships with various other characters. The magical creatures and magic system have a unique spin on them, and the delineation between prophets and seers (of which Asteria is the only one) makes for a strong foundation for the story to launch from.

The slowburn, slightly angsty relationship that starts to develop between Asteria and the God of Death and Darkness was nice, holding a steady undercurrent to the development of their characters and the overall plot. Things start kicking into high gear after a pivotal change in scenery and revelations are made, although the almost rather sudden ending makes me crave for the second book in the series!

What I Enjoyed:
- world-building details showing the differences between the different races as well as the separation of certain skills/powers/magic
= Asteria is a solidly flawed but growing-in-depth main character, making the story from her perspective refreshing
- some characters are not what they seem from initial introduction

Death & Divination Book by Jadis Moon 🔥😈🧚🏼‍♂️ - These are my own personal ratings!

Rating: 4/5 🪄 Wonderful story. It took me a moment to settle into the concept. Some would be weary to continue but I am not a DNF type of gal. I think detail is important and if the author seen fit to draw out setting the stage, there is a reason! I don’t read a ton of fantasy. Although, I was intrigued by the description of this book. Once I had a grasp of the story, I was HOOKED, line & sinker!

Spice: 1/5 🌶️ Since this is an ongoing series, with more detail to come, it was fitting that there were no definitive scenes in the first installment. At most, the FMC and MMC exchange glances and brief touch alluding to the slow burn occurring in the story. This excites me for the tension to continue to build amongst the rest of the series.

Overall Review: While reading this book, I was sucked in to a story that I initially thought I would never make sense of. Asteria was a force to be reckoned with, much like her mate, the God of Death & Darkness. I thought the story was unique. I love a broody yet warm MMC. I did not feel as if any of the story was predictable. I have a knack for foreshadowing the end way before it comes. This book surprised me. I could not even draw a theory of where it was going. The book does leave you with a cliffhanger. For obvious reasons, that means the story is not done. The romance is far from over and Asteria has a wild ride ahead! I genuinely loved this story. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance or fantasy.

If you are interested, Death & Divination is set to release on July 29th! I highly suggest you to support this debut author! You won’t regret it.

Romance.io doesn’t have a take just yet but that’s why I’m here! 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

5 ⭐️ read, gobbled it up in less than a day

Death and Divination just pushed itself into my top 10 favorite books. For those who enjoyed a unique magic system like One Dark Window, character growth like Phantasma, and a well written dark story: this one is for you.

Asteria is a unique seer in her kingdom and keeps to herself most of the time. After murders start happening, that she sees through her “curse”, the plot snowballs into how things are just not how they seem. This book did not have a lull for me, it was continuous without seeming rushed and held my attention.
There is a slow burn romance aspect, and I myself am PINIIIIING for them!!

I loved the character development of our FMC. Seeing her come out of her shell felt like such personal growth. I loved the maturity of the characters (didn’t feel like I was reading high schoolers interact). And naturally, the ending had me tossing and turning and wanting more. Book 2 please, Jadis Moon.

Honestly just well done. This book is going to take off. Preordering for my bookshelf now

Thank you Netgalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions! This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 06/25/2025 at the link provided below.

DNF at 15%

I wanted to love this one, I always want to help out a debut author, but I just couldn't. I was trying to stick it out but the story just didn't grab me at all. It felt like a series of tropes stitched together that I've read a million times.

The writing isn't bad by any means, and the magic system is interesting. But I felt like I knew exactly how the story was going to play out right from the first few chapters.

I think this would be a good book for someone that's very interested in fae, political intrigue between a magical community, and romantasy.

Best of luck to Jadis Moon and their future books!