Rebellion, curses, and slow-burn tension—The Arrow & The Alder is a spellbinding romantic fantasy that stole my heart.

Barbara Kloss has crafted a lush, emotionally resonant tale filled with ancient magic, political tension, and a romance that builds beautifully from distrust to devotion. The atmospheric world of the kith is one I didn’t want to leave—shrouded in mist and mystery, threaded with folklore and danger.

Josephine is a standout protagonist: stubborn, clever, and fiercely loyal. I loved that she wasn’t willing to bow to power or tradition. Her refusal to simply hand over the enchanted coat without answers sets the tone for a story rooted in resistance and identity. And then there's Alder—guarded, wounded, and noble in the most reluctant of ways. The dynamic between them is captivating, full of sharp edges and soft moments.

Their journey together is as much about truth and healing as it is about survival, and the curse spreading across both kith and mortal lands adds a constant, simmering urgency. The story unfolds at a perfect pace, balancing heart-racing chases with intimate emotional beats. Kloss’s writing is lyrical without ever slowing the plot, and she handles the worldbuilding with finesse, letting it bloom through action and character rather than exposition.

This feels perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince or The Bridge Kingdom—romantic fantasy readers who crave deep character work, richly layered lore, and slow-burn intensity. While marketed as adult fantasy, it has strong YA crossover appeal and will resonate with readers who love character-driven romantasy with heart and teeth.

The Arrow & The Alder is the kind of book that lingers after the final page—a gorgeous, mythic fantasy about who we are, who we fight for, and what we’re willing to risk for love and truth. I’d love to see this book get the attention it deserves—it’s an ideal fit for fantasy readers looking for thoughtful themes alongside romantic tension.

Thank you to NetGalley for this excellent book!
The Arrow & The Alder is a fantastic fantasy adventure with a beautiful love story between Alder and Seph. I adored Seph and her tenacity, without being overly sassy (a trope that is overdone in this genre). I loved the adventure and well developed side characters. And I also enjoyed that this is a standalone, not leaving us on a cliffhanger to wait an entire year for the next installment.

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