Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA Fantasy
Length: 307 pages
Format Read: E-Advanced Reader Copy
Release Date: Late-October 2026
V. S. Klare reached out to me on Instagram and asked if I would be interested in an e-ARC copy of their book and I accepted the opportunity to be an early reader of the first book in this series.
The series is marked as a YA Fantasy. It felt like it had elements of Sci-fi as well, with multiple references to the otherworldly night skies with visible planets and the way the magic system seems to run. This story is a very good start and introduction to these characters and this world. I hope that the series continues to dive into the world building and the characters’ motivations because there is great potential there as well.
The YA genre label on this story is appropriate as it is a coming-of-age story with all these young characters, even with them having to grow up very quickly in this rough fantasy world with monsters. They have the support of one another in their struggles though, and I think YA readers will be able to relate to some of the issues they face in the course of the story.
Overall, I think this can grow into a good YA fantasy series. I give it 3 stars because I am not a usual reader of YA, but I enjoy dark fantasy and I think it has lots of good fantastical elements and a good story.
***As an aside, I personally am against the use of generative AI in bookish / creative spaces. I am unclear on the author’s use or stance on generative AI use for visuals. This does not mean they used AI for the cover and social media visuals of their book, I do not know whether they did or did not.***
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