Published By: Scholastic
Pages: 416
Released On: 12/03/2026
When Talia unwittingly steals cursed jewels from a powerful Soulreaper, she pays the ultimate price: the Soulreaper takes her sister’s soul. Desperate to save her sister, Talia strikes a deal. She will enter a deadly, magical tournament and if she survives, she will claim the prize of a wish – the only payment the Soulreaper will accept in exchange for the return of her sister.
But the tournament can only be won in pairs. Talia is paired with Taron who is brooding, mysterious and harbouring secrets of his own. But they must find a way to work together if they are going to make it through the deadly trials alive. And as Talia’s feelings for Taron grow, the stakes get even higher – and the ultimate price might just be her heart.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
The world building in this book is very impressive. Marilize has done a wonderful job at immersing the reader in this world. Everything is described with such precision and detail that you can practically walk amongst the words on the page.
I loved her exploration of all the different types of magic and powers, I found that very interesting. Although I did find, at times, it was a little confusing, just because there’s so many types and different names.
The dialogue is a little clunky. I know it’s a fantasy novel and so it doesn’t necessarily need to be realistic but at ties I felt it was obvious I was reading a book. But it didn’t affect the enjoyment of the story.
There are similarities to a lot of well-loved fantasy novels such as Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Fourth Wing. But it is completely it’s own thing, but if you enjoyed them then you’ll enjoy this.
It’s fast paced and punchy and full-on from start to finish.
She has balanced giving the reader an exciting and interesting plot, but has also given us deep, complex characters – good and bad – that we want to support through the journey.
It is your classical enemies-to-lovers romantasy (that’s not a spoiler, it literally says about their feelings in the above synopsis) which was fun to read. Talia is an interesting protagonist. She’s had to grow up quicky, looking after her sister, working, and trying to keep a roof over their heads. She is very family oriented and will do anything to protect her sister. Which leads her to pairing up with the mysterious Taron who is grumpy and quiet, but also protective and powerful.
Yes it’s a fantasy, romantasy novel. It’s fun and magical. But at the heart it is about love and community, family and what lengths you would go to to protect the ones you love.
Is it anything new? Not really, but I don’t care. It gave me everything I wanted from a new romantasy story and I loved it.
Some fantasy novels can be bogged down in detail and make it hard to lose yourself in. And at over 400 pages, this is probably verging on the above-average page length, but it’s so exciting and well written that the page count just zips by and, if you’re like me, you’ll look down and find you’re already half way through.
I read it in a matter of hours, it was so addictive. I’m so glad there’s a sequel already confirmed and I wonder if it will develop into a full series.
Books By Your Bedside 