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The Anatomy of Magic: A Spicy Fantasy Romance Adventure
Not yet published
Expected 30 Jun 26Enter a world of forbidden magic…Where falling in love could be the last mistake you ever make.
In the city of Valveron, an elite academy seeks to control all magic. But in the darker districts, every kind of power is for sale. If you can pay the price.
Nina Veyr has a dangerous secret—illegal magical abilities she cannot explain. If the city’s enforcers found her, she would be executed… or worse.
For years, Nina has stayed in the shadows, picking pockets and smuggling enchanted relics to get by. Then she steals from the wrong man.
Max Antonin is the most powerful crime boss in the city. Cold, deadly, and breathtakingly attractive, Max has his sights set on Nina, and nothing will stand in his way.
But when Nina is framed for a shocking murder, Max offers to help her find the true killers. She knows she can’t trust him—that deals with a devil always come at a cost. But there’s no way she can survive on her own.
As they follow a trail of bodies into the city’s underworld, Nina feels a dangerous attraction pulling her ever closer to him. Can she trust her life and her heart to Valveron’s most ruthless criminal?
The Anatomy of Magic is a thrilling fantasy romance full of searing chemistry and razor-sharp banter. It’s perfect for fans of Callie Hart, Carissa Broadbent and Elise Kova.
In the city of Valveron, an elite academy seeks to control all magic. But in the darker districts, every kind of power is for sale. If you can pay the price.
Nina Veyr has a dangerous secret—illegal magical abilities she cannot explain. If the city’s enforcers found her, she would be executed… or worse.
For years, Nina has stayed in the shadows, picking pockets and smuggling enchanted relics to get by. Then she steals from the wrong man.
Max Antonin is the most powerful crime boss in the city. Cold, deadly, and breathtakingly attractive, Max has his sights set on Nina, and nothing will stand in his way.
But when Nina is framed for a shocking murder, Max offers to help her find the true killers. She knows she can’t trust him—that deals with a devil always come at a cost. But there’s no way she can survive on her own.
As they follow a trail of bodies into the city’s underworld, Nina feels a dangerous attraction pulling her ever closer to him. Can she trust her life and her heart to Valveron’s most ruthless criminal?
The Anatomy of Magic is a thrilling fantasy romance full of searing chemistry and razor-sharp banter. It’s perfect for fans of Callie Hart, Carissa Broadbent and Elise Kova.
Audible Audio
Expected publication June 30, 2026
About the author
Alexis L. Menard
7 books1,301 followersAlexis is a registered nurse based out of Louisiana where she lives with her husband, toddler, and two oversized dogs. She enjoys long walks through the Renaissance Fair, reading smutty romance into the dark hours of the night, and wine nights with her "Finer Things Club." She hopes to enrich the lives of her readers with worlds they can both escape in and take with them long after the final chapter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
Review of advance copy
⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️ I had to sit and think about this review for a little while. When I finished The Anatomy of Magic, I was very conflicted with how I felt about this book as there were parts I loved and a lot that I did not. I received the deluxe edition from Allurial and I'd like to say many thanks first and foremost to their team for always giving their readers such gorgeous books. However, as lovely as this book looks, the story unfortunately did not match the books lush and allure. I wasn't disappointed but not impressed either. This might be a long review so bear with me!
Little summary:
Set in the dark, industrial city of Valveron, Nina is an assistant to a surgeon and has powers that she can't explain. If ever found, she would be executed or worse. To survive, Nina stays in the shadows mainly relying on her smuggling of dead bodies through city's criminal underworld...until she steals from the wrong man--Max Antonin, takes something that belongs to him and sends him off on a cat and mouse chase after her. Max is a crime boss and one of the Cursed with a tragic past and mysterious powers. He wants what she took and is set on finding her, no matter the cost. But Nina is soon framed for murder and knowing that she can't trust him, she still sets up a deal with him that can guarantee her survival despite knowing it might be problematic. Along the way, Ninas sick mother is taken and they learn that something more dangerous is lurking in the shadows of Valveron and the secrets threaten the entire city's social order. As they try to navigate the unclear waters and investigate the series of murders, they are not only getting close to solving the issue, they are also getting close to each other, unable to stop what ever slow burning romance thats developing between them.
This is a steampunk sort of fantasy that predominantly shines in elements of magic, found family and rivalry and kind of a tortured type of MMC who has it bad with self-hate and 'I don't deserve you' vibes.
I'd like to talk about the very good parts first, which for me was magic that tethered on science. The blend felt very unique and well explored, which personally felt like the strongest part of the novel. It kept me engaged and following along with interest. The author went all out, above and beyond to show her creativity here and it really shined in all of its aspects.
In the City of Valveron, magic is tied to relics, bloodlines and hidden codes which determine who can yield power. The Academy sought to control all magic but the Cursed had their own kind of power and mortal code. The Cursed were a group of people (often looked at as abominations) that had stolen magic and carried it in their blood, relying to drink from those who come from bloodlines. They have to drink from a bloodline in order to maintain their power because while there is essence of magic in their blood, they don't have 'the code' to control it. One drink/bite and they are able to use the bloodlines' code to wield power.
Relics are artifacts that were given magical powers, crafted from residue of the essence (a powerful substance that the Architect (the creator who crafted the power) discovered centuries ago) in the Academy. The dice is one of the relics that holds strong magic. They are essentially weapons known as archetypes. Each archetype has six bloodlines, the same number of faces on a die.
—We have Vitalis, the Forge (air, time, gravity, water, metal and fire), the Glamour (illusion, charm, threading, impression, manipulation and aura). Dominion, the last archetype, was never given to a bloodline. Somehow the CURSED man came into possession of these dice and Nina is able to siphon from them.
While one element of the story was well polished, the book falls flat in character development, romantic attraction/tension and emotional depth. The dynamic between Max and Nina did not work well for me. I thought that their relationship was more tell vs show and their romantic tension and clash didn't land organically. The tension was there, but the author didn't know what to do with it or how to explore it (how to write it out well per se). Their feelings sprung up out of nowhere and proclamation of love felt unnatural. One moment they are avoiding each other, the next he tells her he is in love with her. To me, they had zero emotional depth. There is nothing in the story that emotionally pulled me in, no meaningful conversations, no openness. Max was closed off and Nina never prodded. I also didn't enjoy their steamy scenes--mehh. The author tries to torture the reader by making us wait all the way until past 70%, but where is the amazing banter to keep us sort of afloat? I really felt this book lacked yearning, tension, propulsion.
Max is our tortured type of MMC, full of scars that are both external and internal. He is a byproduct of The Architects human experimentation that left him with orange eyes and white hair and a lot of self-hate and 'I don't deserve anything' vibes. His character was not well explored and frustrated me a little bit because of how distant he appeared. In the story, a piece of information was given about who Max is or where he came from but it was quickly brushed under the rug and not explored until much later in the book and even then it was short and quick. This transition left a wide gap in storytelling that left me with many questions and answers that were not fully explored.
I was intrigued but not overly impressed. As an avid fantasy/romantasy ARC reader I try to look at the whole story as a whole and break it down by its elements and see if they check off my boxes. Unfortunately this book fell short despite the allure.
Publication: June 30th, 2026
Little summary:
Set in the dark, industrial city of Valveron, Nina is an assistant to a surgeon and has powers that she can't explain. If ever found, she would be executed or worse. To survive, Nina stays in the shadows mainly relying on her smuggling of dead bodies through city's criminal underworld...until she steals from the wrong man--Max Antonin, takes something that belongs to him and sends him off on a cat and mouse chase after her. Max is a crime boss and one of the Cursed with a tragic past and mysterious powers. He wants what she took and is set on finding her, no matter the cost. But Nina is soon framed for murder and knowing that she can't trust him, she still sets up a deal with him that can guarantee her survival despite knowing it might be problematic. Along the way, Ninas sick mother is taken and they learn that something more dangerous is lurking in the shadows of Valveron and the secrets threaten the entire city's social order. As they try to navigate the unclear waters and investigate the series of murders, they are not only getting close to solving the issue, they are also getting close to each other, unable to stop what ever slow burning romance thats developing between them.
This is a steampunk sort of fantasy that predominantly shines in elements of magic, found family and rivalry and kind of a tortured type of MMC who has it bad with self-hate and 'I don't deserve you' vibes.
I'd like to talk about the very good parts first, which for me was magic that tethered on science. The blend felt very unique and well explored, which personally felt like the strongest part of the novel. It kept me engaged and following along with interest. The author went all out, above and beyond to show her creativity here and it really shined in all of its aspects.
In the City of Valveron, magic is tied to relics, bloodlines and hidden codes which determine who can yield power. The Academy sought to control all magic but the Cursed had their own kind of power and mortal code. The Cursed were a group of people (often looked at as abominations) that had stolen magic and carried it in their blood, relying to drink from those who come from bloodlines. They have to drink from a bloodline in order to maintain their power because while there is essence of magic in their blood, they don't have 'the code' to control it. One drink/bite and they are able to use the bloodlines' code to wield power.
Relics are artifacts that were given magical powers, crafted from residue of the essence (a powerful substance that the Architect (the creator who crafted the power) discovered centuries ago) in the Academy. The dice is one of the relics that holds strong magic. They are essentially weapons known as archetypes. Each archetype has six bloodlines, the same number of faces on a die.
—We have Vitalis, the Forge (air, time, gravity, water, metal and fire), the Glamour (illusion, charm, threading, impression, manipulation and aura). Dominion, the last archetype, was never given to a bloodline. Somehow the CURSED man came into possession of these dice and Nina is able to siphon from them.
While one element of the story was well polished, the book falls flat in character development, romantic attraction/tension and emotional depth. The dynamic between Max and Nina did not work well for me. I thought that their relationship was more tell vs show and their romantic tension and clash didn't land organically. The tension was there, but the author didn't know what to do with it or how to explore it (how to write it out well per se). Their feelings sprung up out of nowhere and proclamation of love felt unnatural. One moment they are avoiding each other, the next he tells her he is in love with her. To me, they had zero emotional depth. There is nothing in the story that emotionally pulled me in, no meaningful conversations, no openness. Max was closed off and Nina never prodded. I also didn't enjoy their steamy scenes--mehh. The author tries to torture the reader by making us wait all the way until past 70%, but where is the amazing banter to keep us sort of afloat? I really felt this book lacked yearning, tension, propulsion.
Max is our tortured type of MMC, full of scars that are both external and internal. He is a byproduct of The Architects human experimentation that left him with orange eyes and white hair and a lot of self-hate and 'I don't deserve anything' vibes. His character was not well explored and frustrated me a little bit because of how distant he appeared. In the story, a piece of information was given about who Max is or where he came from but it was quickly brushed under the rug and not explored until much later in the book and even then it was short and quick. This transition left a wide gap in storytelling that left me with many questions and answers that were not fully explored.
I was intrigued but not overly impressed. As an avid fantasy/romantasy ARC reader I try to look at the whole story as a whole and break it down by its elements and see if they check off my boxes. Unfortunately this book fell short despite the allure.
Publication: June 30th, 2026
May 21, 2026
“Is my heartbeat the only one you hear?” I asked him, curious. “It’s the only one I listen to.”
🎲 Forbidden Magic
💜 Unique Magic System
🎲 The Cursed
💜 Surgeons Assistant
🎲 So many Secrets and Mysteries
💜 Early 18th Century Steampunk Fantasy
🎲 Frankenstein Elements/Vibe
💜 Found Family
“Careful, Ace. Where I’m from, we use threats like that as foreplay.”
Everything about this book grabbed me from the first page. From the world, imagine a dark early 18th century steampunk fantasy, the mystery and the tension filled romance, to the genuinely so unique magic system that is just so different to anything I have ever read before.
You have the original magic which is tied to Archetypes that is passed down through generations, the magic that is gifted in a ritual to only those who graduate from The Academy and then you have the Cursed who are forced to steal magic *cough* Blood *cough* in order to use it. And then separate from them all is Nina. She has the unique ability to siphon any magic. The way the magic is described, the rules and the costs… everything was just so interesting and so cleverly done.
“I didn’t always walk around with the finger bone of a dead patient in my pocket, but some remains were particularly useful—even beyond their lock-picking abilities.”
Nina is so relatable and cunning, I just love the way she approaches and overcomes all of the obstacles in her way. The way her character developed over this story was one of my favourite parts. She starts off her story as a Surgeons Assistant, keeping a low profile and she gets mixed up in smuggling dead bodies in order to provide for her sick mother. And then her world gets thrown on its axis and suddenly she’s on the run and having to make hard choices one after the other after the other. I loved her strength and how she didn’t shy away from embracing the darker side of this world. It made for such an intense read.
“The shift in my life, from blood and bone to gowns and gloves to tailored coats and handguns, had been swift and seamless. The person I had been was gone.”
And then we have Max. His character is complex and deep with a truly devastating backstory that will pull at your heartstrings, and have you begging the author to protect him at all costs. Every revelation had me gasping, his story has so many twists and turns you absolutely won’t be able to stop reading. I adored how Nina brought out his protective side, he never pretends to be good in the traditional sense but he is exactly what Nina needs and she for him. He and Nina are such a perfect match, the yearning and tension between them was unmatched.
“Max was something else entirely. Appealing in the way I found a devastating storm to be beautiful or a fire to be a simultaneous source of warmth and destruction. Both had the power to ruin my life, and yet I felt drawn to them—to him—despite the warnings.”
That ending?!?!? What do you mean there are no more pages left to turn?? I need book 2 like I need air.
~ Thank you NetGalley, Second Sky and Alexis L. Menard for this ARC
Currently Reading
June 1, 2026Pre Read:
Allurial June Early release! Loved her last duology, and cant wait to see what she delivers for us in this new series.
Allurial June Early release! Loved her last duology, and cant wait to see what she delivers for us in this new series.
June 2, 2026
"If his threat was a storm, I wanted to linger in the lightning, no matter the risk of the damage it might cause."
Thank you Netgalley and Second Sky/Forever for this ARC.
Publication date: June 30, 2026
✨ Enemies (he literally shoots at her 3 times + gets her framed for murder & thrown in jail) to reluctant allies to lovers
✨ Vampire-ish broody MMC with tragic backstory
✨ Forbidden magic
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Touch her and 💀
Spice: 1.5🌶️
It took me a bit to adjust to the world building/magic system as I found it confusing at times, but once everything started making sense I could not stop reading. The mystery, the action sequences, the banter, the tension, the yearning, the plot twists. I had such a great time!
The story is pretty fast paced with a short timeline. Though the main characters knew each other for a short period their feelings for one another felt genuine and built on mutual trust, respect and admiration.
I loved Nina. She was feisty, resourceful, selfless and brave. Although she would make some dumb decisions/choices that got her into more trouble, I knew she had good intentions and was just trying to help the people she cared for. And Max, my beautiful broken man. My heart ached for all the horrors he had gone through and how he doesn't think he deserves anything good in life as a result of it. It was so easy to root for him after learning his backstory.
And that cliffhanger?! What a way to break my heart 😭 I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the sequel!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Is my heartbeat the only one you hear?"
"It's the only one I listen to."
"Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you see me. Really see me."
"You're worth the fight, Max. You're worthy of love and happiness and every good thing in this life."
"I finally figured out why you terrify me so much. Because now that I have you, I don't know what I'd do without you. I'd be so lost without the sound of your heart and the peace it brings to my chaos."
Thank you Netgalley and Second Sky/Forever for this ARC.
Publication date: June 30, 2026
✨ Enemies (he literally shoots at her 3 times + gets her framed for murder & thrown in jail) to reluctant allies to lovers
✨ Vampire-ish broody MMC with tragic backstory
✨ Forbidden magic
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Touch her and 💀
Spice: 1.5🌶️
It took me a bit to adjust to the world building/magic system as I found it confusing at times, but once everything started making sense I could not stop reading. The mystery, the action sequences, the banter, the tension, the yearning, the plot twists. I had such a great time!
The story is pretty fast paced with a short timeline. Though the main characters knew each other for a short period their feelings for one another felt genuine and built on mutual trust, respect and admiration.
I loved Nina. She was feisty, resourceful, selfless and brave. Although she would make some dumb decisions/choices that got her into more trouble, I knew she had good intentions and was just trying to help the people she cared for. And Max, my beautiful broken man. My heart ached for all the horrors he had gone through and how he doesn't think he deserves anything good in life as a result of it. It was so easy to root for him after learning his backstory.
And that cliffhanger?! What a way to break my heart 😭 I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the sequel!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Is my heartbeat the only one you hear?"
"It's the only one I listen to."
"Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you see me. Really see me."
"You're worth the fight, Max. You're worthy of love and happiness and every good thing in this life."
"I finally figured out why you terrify me so much. Because now that I have you, I don't know what I'd do without you. I'd be so lost without the sound of your heart and the peace it brings to my chaos."
April 26, 2026
fated x enemies to lovers x mind to mind speak
I’ve never read anything like this romantasy. I love the concept of relics and writing the code to magic. I love how she got sucked into the world through small betrayals/secrets and didn’t realize how it was impacting the entire system. I love the sloooow burn and why it had to be that way.
Oh and also - they speak mind to mind.
AND he’s an MMC with a tortured past.
I would recommend!
I’ve never read anything like this romantasy. I love the concept of relics and writing the code to magic. I love how she got sucked into the world through small betrayals/secrets and didn’t realize how it was impacting the entire system. I love the sloooow burn and why it had to be that way.
Oh and also - they speak mind to mind.
AND he’s an MMC with a tortured past.
I would recommend!
Read
June 12, 2026Once again, Alexis hits it out of the park with another banger. This might be her best work yet! I absolutely loved Nina and Max and their journey together. Nina's character was a breath of fresh air and I appreciate how Menard wrote about Nina's anxiety. She was competent and willing to do anything for those she loves. Max was also a great male lead, and I liked getting a glimpse into his head with his few POVs. As always, Alexis delivered great banter between the two and I can't wait to see how this story ends in the next installment.
Also, Alexis, I will be billing you for that ending because WHAT.
I highly recommend this one to those who like romantasy with an engaging plot!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Also, Alexis, I will be billing you for that ending because WHAT.
I highly recommend this one to those who like romantasy with an engaging plot!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
May 24, 2026
As always, Alexis paints the industrials vibes perfectly- but now add in some Frankenstein with magic, witty banter and spice. That ending left me simply unwell.
June 19, 2026
"But know without a doubt, beyond every day that passes, that I love you. I could never stop loving you. I loved you as much as a man like me could love someone."
3☆
Okay I had such a fun time with this!!! If you're looking for a steamy, gripping and fun romantasy read... this is the book for you!!!
One of the most unique things about this book was the magic system. It was a relic based system which I found so intriguing. Magic stems from bloodlines and hidden codes which determines who is able to wield it. I found this so interesting and creative! The author developed it in such an amazing way where it was very clearly explained and easy to grasp.
Max, he is such a tortured MMC, I loved him!!! I feel like Sean Masters did such an incredible job narrating his role! His voice matched the vibes of the book and the part of a tortured MMC SO SO WELL!!! I would without a doubt listen to more audiobooks narrated by him! Sean also did an amazing job at narrating different male character vibes!! Making them all sound a little different. Max himself was such a well written character! He deals with a lot of self hate and feels like he doesn't deserve anything good. I do hope we get more of him in the next book!!
Nina our FMC was such a strong and feisty character in herself. She was so sure of herself and I loved that she wasn't afraid of Max and cowered in front of him. Now this is largely a matter of personal preference, however the female narrators voice didn't align with the fantasy vibes of this book to me. I loved her voice in general though! The banter between Max and Nina was SO FUNNY!!! I loved it so much!
I do wish their emotional depth was a little more explored through the book. I also hope that in the next book we get more of a backstory on both of our MCs to help connect with them a little more. I felt like there was also a lack of world building which made it difficult to paint a picture in my head while I was listening to it.
The ending of this book was so emotional and did make me want to cry and need the next book IMMEDIATELY!!!
Thank you so much to Alexis L. Menard, second sky books, Bookouture audios and Netgalley for this ALC!!🩷
3☆
Okay I had such a fun time with this!!! If you're looking for a steamy, gripping and fun romantasy read... this is the book for you!!!
One of the most unique things about this book was the magic system. It was a relic based system which I found so intriguing. Magic stems from bloodlines and hidden codes which determines who is able to wield it. I found this so interesting and creative! The author developed it in such an amazing way where it was very clearly explained and easy to grasp.
Max, he is such a tortured MMC, I loved him!!! I feel like Sean Masters did such an incredible job narrating his role! His voice matched the vibes of the book and the part of a tortured MMC SO SO WELL!!! I would without a doubt listen to more audiobooks narrated by him! Sean also did an amazing job at narrating different male character vibes!! Making them all sound a little different. Max himself was such a well written character! He deals with a lot of self hate and feels like he doesn't deserve anything good. I do hope we get more of him in the next book!!
Nina our FMC was such a strong and feisty character in herself. She was so sure of herself and I loved that she wasn't afraid of Max and cowered in front of him. Now this is largely a matter of personal preference, however the female narrators voice didn't align with the fantasy vibes of this book to me. I loved her voice in general though! The banter between Max and Nina was SO FUNNY!!! I loved it so much!
I do wish their emotional depth was a little more explored through the book. I also hope that in the next book we get more of a backstory on both of our MCs to help connect with them a little more. I felt like there was also a lack of world building which made it difficult to paint a picture in my head while I was listening to it.
The ending of this book was so emotional and did make me want to cry and need the next book IMMEDIATELY!!!
Thank you so much to Alexis L. Menard, second sky books, Bookouture audios and Netgalley for this ALC!!🩷
Read
June 22, 2026dnf at 27%
this actually pains me to write because of how much i loved house of bane and blood/city of mirth and malice, but this book really is just not working for me. the dialogue feels forced and incredibly cheesy, and the writing does not flow well. in my head it’s reading like a poorly done YA action/fantasy movie from the 2010s, and it’s giving me the ick. unfortunately for me, this magic system with relics and elemental bloodlines is SUPER intriguing, and as always, i love the steampunk aesthetic alexis favours for her book themes. on paper, this book should be for someone like me, but the execution is just not there. i also am beginning to get frustrated with how much telling instead of showing is going on, and while i understand that complex worlds have historical contexts the reader needs to know to understand the magnitude of the storyline, i just feel like there needs to be a more creative way to introduce them. i might pick this one back up in the future, but now is not the time.
this actually pains me to write because of how much i loved house of bane and blood/city of mirth and malice, but this book really is just not working for me. the dialogue feels forced and incredibly cheesy, and the writing does not flow well. in my head it’s reading like a poorly done YA action/fantasy movie from the 2010s, and it’s giving me the ick. unfortunately for me, this magic system with relics and elemental bloodlines is SUPER intriguing, and as always, i love the steampunk aesthetic alexis favours for her book themes. on paper, this book should be for someone like me, but the execution is just not there. i also am beginning to get frustrated with how much telling instead of showing is going on, and while i understand that complex worlds have historical contexts the reader needs to know to understand the magnitude of the storyline, i just feel like there needs to be a more creative way to introduce them. i might pick this one back up in the future, but now is not the time.
June 7, 2026
this world & magic system ‼️
arc rating & review:
★★★★
thank you so much netgalley & alexis for this amazing arc!!!
y’all - when I tell you I was HOOKED from page one, I mean it. I was absolutely enthralled by the way this story was laid out. we have our fmc who is a surgeon trying to provide for her mom and he comes our mmc with orange eyes and a very interesting predicament 👀 she reluctantly helps him and this is just the beginning of an enemies to reluctant allies to partners in crime (ifykyk) 🙂↕️
they end up set on this huge journey of finding out what was going on, who was trying to hunt them both down, and they find very interesting and deadly information while doing so. I think the stakes in this were perfect! high stakes but also had some low stake periods as well. the magic system was my favorite part! you have people who are born into these bloodlines with specific magical traits, then you have the cursed who are similar to vampires in a way but also not at all. each bloodline has a code written into their very being. I love that she can weave magic into a post-industrial age setting. her writing style is so unique and I love how she can pack a punch with her characters and her worlds! the plot twists were absolutely insane and I had no idea any of them were coming at any point in time
I absolutely adored our fmc. she was so strong and had to do so much she didn’t want to just because she had to keep her mom safe and herself out of trouble. and all the side characters that we get to know and love!!! I do think that she had to change and mold herself into someone she probably never wanted to be, but she took it in stride and I am so excited to see her go on a rampage in book two 🙌🏻
and our MMC!!! down mfing BADDDD for him 🧎🏻♀️ I absolutely love that he has orange eyes. it’s such a unique color and I can just picture him so clearly in my mind. his backstory and what he had to go through breaks my heart. he only sees himself as a monster and someone who is not deserving of love or kindness but he deserves the world 😭 these two fit together like two puzzle pieces that were missing a side until they found each other. he was so fiercely protective of her in a way that wasn’t overbearing or controlling. I love that he was always searching for her heartbeat 🥹
I’ve read her other series and I knew the cliff hanger was going to be bad but I need book two yesterday omfg ‼️ the things we learn, the character development, and the absolute devastating ending we are left with has me so nervous for the next book. and buddy reading this with my friend was such a special experience. it really makes you think and work through so many new theories and feelings!!
thank you again for the arc! these are my own thoughts and feelings, no AI was used in writing this review; I was not paid to read or review this book; all thoughts and feelings are my own
arc rating & review:
★★★★
thank you so much netgalley & alexis for this amazing arc!!!
y’all - when I tell you I was HOOKED from page one, I mean it. I was absolutely enthralled by the way this story was laid out. we have our fmc who is a surgeon trying to provide for her mom and he comes our mmc with orange eyes and a very interesting predicament 👀 she reluctantly helps him and this is just the beginning of an enemies to reluctant allies to partners in crime (ifykyk) 🙂↕️
they end up set on this huge journey of finding out what was going on, who was trying to hunt them both down, and they find very interesting and deadly information while doing so. I think the stakes in this were perfect! high stakes but also had some low stake periods as well. the magic system was my favorite part! you have people who are born into these bloodlines with specific magical traits, then you have the cursed who are similar to vampires in a way but also not at all. each bloodline has a code written into their very being. I love that she can weave magic into a post-industrial age setting. her writing style is so unique and I love how she can pack a punch with her characters and her worlds! the plot twists were absolutely insane and I had no idea any of them were coming at any point in time
I absolutely adored our fmc. she was so strong and had to do so much she didn’t want to just because she had to keep her mom safe and herself out of trouble. and all the side characters that we get to know and love!!! I do think that she had to change and mold herself into someone she probably never wanted to be, but she took it in stride and I am so excited to see her go on a rampage in book two 🙌🏻
and our MMC!!! down mfing BADDDD for him 🧎🏻♀️ I absolutely love that he has orange eyes. it’s such a unique color and I can just picture him so clearly in my mind. his backstory and what he had to go through breaks my heart. he only sees himself as a monster and someone who is not deserving of love or kindness but he deserves the world 😭 these two fit together like two puzzle pieces that were missing a side until they found each other. he was so fiercely protective of her in a way that wasn’t overbearing or controlling. I love that he was always searching for her heartbeat 🥹
I’ve read her other series and I knew the cliff hanger was going to be bad but I need book two yesterday omfg ‼️ the things we learn, the character development, and the absolute devastating ending we are left with has me so nervous for the next book. and buddy reading this with my friend was such a special experience. it really makes you think and work through so many new theories and feelings!!
thank you again for the arc! these are my own thoughts and feelings, no AI was used in writing this review; I was not paid to read or review this book; all thoughts and feelings are my own
June 19, 2026
It’s been a while since I picked up a book that I was instantly invested in within the first few pages. The Anatomy of Magic was completely and utterly addictive! One of those books where you put it down and all you can think about is when you’ll be able to pick it back up again and continue the story.
Wow. This is the first book I’ve read by Alexis and I will 100% be checking out her other books while I go feral waiting for book 2 in this series! 🤣
I loved it all! Nina is an absolutely fantastic female lead, I adored her. Her strength and curiosity, her intelligence and her kindness, her loyalty and her passion as surgeon…she was just instantly likeable. Maxence is an equally brilliant and likeable male lead. He is such a contrast- he can don the mask of a cold and calculating killer, but also carries such a heavy weight on his shoulders. The vulnerability and fear he shows the first time we meet him when Nina patches him up…I knew I was going to fall hard for them both. His inability to see his own worth and his fear of letting people in absolutely massacred my poor heart.
The world Alexis has created is so unique and so intriguing! I loved the concept of the magic and how bloodlines have a main archetype and how that branches into the various related magics. The cursed and the essence in blood, how Max and his siblings came to be…I was so absorbed by it all! Then you have the society with a clear class system, people who have magic seen as elites, whereas the Fissures is poverty stricken and people turn to black market work to get by. The politics of the world was really cool too, I loved that you have multiple elements of the hierarchy with the governor, the police, and then the Academy and the Magister.
The pacing is flawless, you move through the story fast enough to keep everything exciting but not so fast that you don’t get to have the slower, quieter moments with the characters, and so you can keep up with the different elements of the world building and plot that are introduced.
What a book! That ending though? I AM DEVASTATED 😭 I cannot wait to be back in this world with Nina and Maxence. A huge thank you to Second Sky for sending me a proof to read and review, your work is done- I’m hooked and I will be screaming about this book to everyone I meet!
Wow. This is the first book I’ve read by Alexis and I will 100% be checking out her other books while I go feral waiting for book 2 in this series! 🤣
I loved it all! Nina is an absolutely fantastic female lead, I adored her. Her strength and curiosity, her intelligence and her kindness, her loyalty and her passion as surgeon…she was just instantly likeable. Maxence is an equally brilliant and likeable male lead. He is such a contrast- he can don the mask of a cold and calculating killer, but also carries such a heavy weight on his shoulders. The vulnerability and fear he shows the first time we meet him when Nina patches him up…I knew I was going to fall hard for them both. His inability to see his own worth and his fear of letting people in absolutely massacred my poor heart.
The world Alexis has created is so unique and so intriguing! I loved the concept of the magic and how bloodlines have a main archetype and how that branches into the various related magics. The cursed and the essence in blood, how Max and his siblings came to be…I was so absorbed by it all! Then you have the society with a clear class system, people who have magic seen as elites, whereas the Fissures is poverty stricken and people turn to black market work to get by. The politics of the world was really cool too, I loved that you have multiple elements of the hierarchy with the governor, the police, and then the Academy and the Magister.
The pacing is flawless, you move through the story fast enough to keep everything exciting but not so fast that you don’t get to have the slower, quieter moments with the characters, and so you can keep up with the different elements of the world building and plot that are introduced.
What a book! That ending though? I AM DEVASTATED 😭 I cannot wait to be back in this world with Nina and Maxence. A huge thank you to Second Sky for sending me a proof to read and review, your work is done- I’m hooked and I will be screaming about this book to everyone I meet!
June 21, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC.
Everything about this book worked for me. From the incredible world-building to the unique magic system, I was completely invested from the start.
The Anatomy of Magic follows two powerful characters whose lives become intertwined as they uncover dangerous secrets surrounding a magic system unlike anything I’ve read before. The deeper they dig, the more complicated and dangerous things become, and I found myself wanting just one more chapter every time I had to stop listening.
The standout for me was definitely the magic. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres, so it takes a lot to impress me, but Alexis L. Menard created something that felt genuinely fresh. I loved learning the rules, the limitations, and seeing how magic shaped every part of the world. The world-building was detailed without ever feeling overwhelming, and I could easily picture every scene.
Can we talk about these characters for a second? Because I absolutely loved them. They felt real, flawed, and easy to root for. The more time I spent with them, the more invested I became in their story. By the end, I was fully attached and emotionally invested in whatever happened next.
And the audiobook? Absolutely fantastic. The duet narration brought so much life to the characters and made an already immersive story even better. Both narrators delivered amazing performances and had me completely hooked.
If you’re looking for a fantasy with a unique magic system, memorable characters, and narration that elevates the entire experience, definitely add this one to your TBR.
I already need the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC.
Everything about this book worked for me. From the incredible world-building to the unique magic system, I was completely invested from the start.
The Anatomy of Magic follows two powerful characters whose lives become intertwined as they uncover dangerous secrets surrounding a magic system unlike anything I’ve read before. The deeper they dig, the more complicated and dangerous things become, and I found myself wanting just one more chapter every time I had to stop listening.
The standout for me was definitely the magic. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres, so it takes a lot to impress me, but Alexis L. Menard created something that felt genuinely fresh. I loved learning the rules, the limitations, and seeing how magic shaped every part of the world. The world-building was detailed without ever feeling overwhelming, and I could easily picture every scene.
Can we talk about these characters for a second? Because I absolutely loved them. They felt real, flawed, and easy to root for. The more time I spent with them, the more invested I became in their story. By the end, I was fully attached and emotionally invested in whatever happened next.
And the audiobook? Absolutely fantastic. The duet narration brought so much life to the characters and made an already immersive story even better. Both narrators delivered amazing performances and had me completely hooked.
If you’re looking for a fantasy with a unique magic system, memorable characters, and narration that elevates the entire experience, definitely add this one to your TBR.
I already need the next book.
June 10, 2026
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC! ❤
This is one of those books where after finishing I had to walk around the house and then stare at a wall, trying to comprehend the events that played out because I was so mind blown and felt so many emotions. The Anatomy of Magic is the one of the most enjoyable books I've read all year. There's no better feeling than wanting to continuously read, ignore real life, and just immerse yourself into the story with the characters and this book did exactly that for me.
I loved everything about this world-building. It had eccentric vibes with canals, steamboats, Camden Town aesthetics, etc. It felt like a historical, urban fantasy. The magic system felt unique and fresh, with archetypes being passed down through bloodlines, but then there are the Cursed who possess stolen magic which comes with a dangerous price.
Nina, a surgeon, is a strong and courageous character who is put into an incredibly difficult lifestyle just to try and provide for herself and her sick mother. Max, a broody Cursed who is filled with a dark and traumatic past, finds himself on Nina's operating table during a time of need, only for his most valuable artifacts to be stolen by her.
"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?"
"𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴."
I loved their dynamic so much. They're an unlikely pair made perfect for each other. Their banter, flirty interactions, sarcasm, and protectiveness for one another made their relationship so loving and enjoyable.
I am so impatient for book 2 already, especially after that insane (and diabolical) ending.
This is one of those books where after finishing I had to walk around the house and then stare at a wall, trying to comprehend the events that played out because I was so mind blown and felt so many emotions. The Anatomy of Magic is the one of the most enjoyable books I've read all year. There's no better feeling than wanting to continuously read, ignore real life, and just immerse yourself into the story with the characters and this book did exactly that for me.
I loved everything about this world-building. It had eccentric vibes with canals, steamboats, Camden Town aesthetics, etc. It felt like a historical, urban fantasy. The magic system felt unique and fresh, with archetypes being passed down through bloodlines, but then there are the Cursed who possess stolen magic which comes with a dangerous price.
Nina, a surgeon, is a strong and courageous character who is put into an incredibly difficult lifestyle just to try and provide for herself and her sick mother. Max, a broody Cursed who is filled with a dark and traumatic past, finds himself on Nina's operating table during a time of need, only for his most valuable artifacts to be stolen by her.
"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?"
"𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴."
I loved their dynamic so much. They're an unlikely pair made perfect for each other. Their banter, flirty interactions, sarcasm, and protectiveness for one another made their relationship so loving and enjoyable.
I am so impatient for book 2 already, especially after that insane (and diabolical) ending.
June 14, 2026
4.5⭐️
This was dark, deadly and delicious. The yearning? I was on the edge of my seat and screaming FINALLY! Absolutely loved this unique story with magic, dice relics and a Frankenstein vibe.
FMC Nina is a nurse/ surgeon and helps in the very small hospital in town one night a man comes in with a stab wound and it’s flirty as hell from the get go. She does have a little side hustle with her mentor which is carting dead bodies to sell them to ‘the buyer’. I was addicted from page one, the dark elements to this story is what made it so interesting as well as the magic system - it was a little complicated at first but soon get around to understanding.
I loved how the FMC and MMC were TRUE enemies to lovers in this, and it was done so well - literally trying to kill each other. Yes please. Twists and turns throughout which kept it super interesting and intertwined within the plot of the academy, gangs, drug districts, opium etc.
The only issue I had was towards about 60% percent of the book it became a little lacklustre for a few chapters and felt unneeded, but then the ending - dear lord and saviour, my heart and soul, please can I have book two immediately!
“Careful, Ace. Where I’m from, we use threats like that as foreplay.”
Thank you so much Second Sky Books for the advanced copy all thoughts are my own.
This was dark, deadly and delicious. The yearning? I was on the edge of my seat and screaming FINALLY! Absolutely loved this unique story with magic, dice relics and a Frankenstein vibe.
FMC Nina is a nurse/ surgeon and helps in the very small hospital in town one night a man comes in with a stab wound and it’s flirty as hell from the get go. She does have a little side hustle with her mentor which is carting dead bodies to sell them to ‘the buyer’. I was addicted from page one, the dark elements to this story is what made it so interesting as well as the magic system - it was a little complicated at first but soon get around to understanding.
I loved how the FMC and MMC were TRUE enemies to lovers in this, and it was done so well - literally trying to kill each other. Yes please. Twists and turns throughout which kept it super interesting and intertwined within the plot of the academy, gangs, drug districts, opium etc.
The only issue I had was towards about 60% percent of the book it became a little lacklustre for a few chapters and felt unneeded, but then the ending - dear lord and saviour, my heart and soul, please can I have book two immediately!
“Careful, Ace. Where I’m from, we use threats like that as foreplay.”
Thank you so much Second Sky Books for the advanced copy all thoughts are my own.
June 17, 2026
Thank you to Second Sky/Forever Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for this advanced copy. This was very enjoyable and the magic system was unique. I did find myself a little bored at times. I would say that this book can best be described as goth meets Peaky Blinders meets Frankenstein. I’ve definitely never ready anything like it.
Here’s what I liked:
-Max is a Cursed which is kind of like a vampire. The Cursed can take the magic of whoever they drink blood from. Cool concept
-Nina is a surgeon and has some street smarts to her
-the gritty gothic setting was so easy for my to visualize
-the magic system was so unique
-the Frankenstein part of it all - uncovering what is going on with these bodies
-the ending has me interested in what happens next
What I didn’t like:
-the plot got a little muddled and boring for me through the entire book. Some parts I just did not care about at all.
-I liked Nina and Max but I wasn’t feeling a lot of chemistry between them. I like their romance but it did feel a little lacking for me
Overall, very enjoyable and would recommend.
Here’s what I liked:
-Max is a Cursed which is kind of like a vampire. The Cursed can take the magic of whoever they drink blood from. Cool concept
-Nina is a surgeon and has some street smarts to her
-the gritty gothic setting was so easy for my to visualize
-the magic system was so unique
-the Frankenstein part of it all - uncovering what is going on with these bodies
-the ending has me interested in what happens next
What I didn’t like:
-the plot got a little muddled and boring for me through the entire book. Some parts I just did not care about at all.
-I liked Nina and Max but I wasn’t feeling a lot of chemistry between them. I like their romance but it did feel a little lacking for me
Overall, very enjoyable and would recommend.
June 12, 2026
This book felt so unique to me, it is a fantasy book that has romance and mafia vibes and it’s such an intriguing combination.
I really enjoyed both of the main characters. Nina is someone you can’t help but root for as she’s just trying to survive and take care of her mum. Then Max is just such a wonderfully complex MMC, he’s strong and private and insanely protective and will do anything for the people he loves. The yearning in this book is great.
As well as the main characters there are a number of great side characters who fulfil different purposes, but all of them feel well rounded and believable. I’m excited to see how the found family develops in book two.
The magic system was a huge plus point for me, it’s not like anything I’ve read before, with bloodlines, archetypes, siphons, magical relics etc. I found learning about how the magic system works was so interesting and it was so creatively done.
There is a solid plotline to the story which moves along at a decent pace with the romance being interwoven throughout. Then the ending was crazy!! Honestly it felt brutal and I just cannot fathom what will happen next.
I really enjoyed both of the main characters. Nina is someone you can’t help but root for as she’s just trying to survive and take care of her mum. Then Max is just such a wonderfully complex MMC, he’s strong and private and insanely protective and will do anything for the people he loves. The yearning in this book is great.
As well as the main characters there are a number of great side characters who fulfil different purposes, but all of them feel well rounded and believable. I’m excited to see how the found family develops in book two.
The magic system was a huge plus point for me, it’s not like anything I’ve read before, with bloodlines, archetypes, siphons, magical relics etc. I found learning about how the magic system works was so interesting and it was so creatively done.
There is a solid plotline to the story which moves along at a decent pace with the romance being interwoven throughout. Then the ending was crazy!! Honestly it felt brutal and I just cannot fathom what will happen next.
May 27, 2026
Thank you Forever and Second Sky for the eARc!
A simple, I liked this kind of read for me.
The Anatomy of Magic by Alexis L. Menard felt like a classic Alexis L. Menard book in all the best ways—moody, magical, a little dangerous, and very easy to get swept up in. I enjoyed the dynamic between Nina and Max, especially that push and pull between distrust and attraction while they’re dragged deeper into Valveron’s underworld.
Nina trying to survive with a secret she can’t even fully explain, and Max being this cold, powerful crime boss who somehow keeps showing up right when she needs him most? It worked for me. The stakes felt solid, the magic system was interesting enough to keep me hooked, and the romance had that slow burn tension I always expect from this kind of story.
Not a life-changing read, but definitely an entertaining one I liked spending time with.
A simple, I liked this kind of read for me.
The Anatomy of Magic by Alexis L. Menard felt like a classic Alexis L. Menard book in all the best ways—moody, magical, a little dangerous, and very easy to get swept up in. I enjoyed the dynamic between Nina and Max, especially that push and pull between distrust and attraction while they’re dragged deeper into Valveron’s underworld.
Nina trying to survive with a secret she can’t even fully explain, and Max being this cold, powerful crime boss who somehow keeps showing up right when she needs him most? It worked for me. The stakes felt solid, the magic system was interesting enough to keep me hooked, and the romance had that slow burn tension I always expect from this kind of story.
Not a life-changing read, but definitely an entertaining one I liked spending time with.
June 17, 2026
This book had me completely hooked!!!
The magic system is one of the coolest I’ve read in a while! It's dark, blood based, and woven into every part of their world. The whole vibe screams steampunk: grimy streets, steamships, apothecaries, body smuggling, and a society where magic functions like a religion and is highly regulated. It felt like a perfect blend of Peaky Blinders, vampires and Frankenstein body horror.
Give me a traumatized MMC carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I’m absolutely obsessed. The MMC was exactly my type, complicated, damaged, traumatized, fascinating, and impossible not to root for. The banter between him and our FMC was fantastic from the first few pages! Nina and Max forever 👀
"You're my partner in crime. Maybe they'll draw us together on the bounty posters."
I need book 2 immediately. 🖤⚙️🩸🚢
The magic system is one of the coolest I’ve read in a while! It's dark, blood based, and woven into every part of their world. The whole vibe screams steampunk: grimy streets, steamships, apothecaries, body smuggling, and a society where magic functions like a religion and is highly regulated. It felt like a perfect blend of Peaky Blinders, vampires and Frankenstein body horror.
Give me a traumatized MMC carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I’m absolutely obsessed. The MMC was exactly my type, complicated, damaged, traumatized, fascinating, and impossible not to root for. The banter between him and our FMC was fantastic from the first few pages! Nina and Max forever 👀
"You're my partner in crime. Maybe they'll draw us together on the bounty posters."
I need book 2 immediately. 🖤⚙️🩸🚢
June 15, 2026
Absolutely loved this book! Right from the beginning you’re thrown into this world where our FMC is smuggling dead bodies to help her ailing mother. When suddenly she’s framed for murder and forced to work with the city’s most notorious crime boss. The Frankensteinesque vibes of this book were so captivating! I can’t wait to read the next book!
Thank you to Second Sky/Forever and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Second Sky/Forever and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
June 20, 2026
I received an ALC from Bookouture Audio via NetGalley. This is my honest review.
- 2️⃣ duet narration
- ☝️ mostly single POV
- 🚂 steampunk with advanced technology
- 🤫 hidden magic
- 🪄 unique magic system
- 🔥 flirting & tension
- 😭 sacrifice
- 🔪 betrayal
- 💚Frankenstein coded
- 💕same world as author’s Vows of Vengeance duology
First, the narration….fantastic. Savannah Thomas, as always, absolutely delivered. She brought so much emotional depth to her performance that the MFC felt very real. As Savannah does, she brings an authenticity to the delivery of the characters she narrates that makes every thought and emotion believable. Savannah is so talented, I don’t know how she does it. Sean Masters was equally strong. He did an excellent job differentiating the MMC from the other male voices, especially characters like the MFC’s surgeon friend/boss. That distinction made it easy to follow conversations and stay immersed in the story. At the end of the book, I could feel the MMC‘s pain due to Sean‘s narration. Very well done. The duet narration style really elevated the entire experience. I was already hooked by the writing and plot, but the narrators added another layer of intensity and emotional engagement that made the story even more compelling.
The book grabbed me right away. Chapter one opened with a fast-paced meet-cute between the MFC and MMC, complete with immediate flirting, and chapter two maintained that momentum. I knew early on I was invested and hooked into this book. Overall, the pacing was moderate to fast, really kept me on edge much of the story. The plot was unique, the Frankenstein coded storyline was awesome, the steampunk setting similar to the author’s other duology was really cool, the tension and flirting was beautiful and hot, the antagonists were awful, and the ending was shocking/devastating.
One of the strongest aspects of the book was how the author created empathy within me for both MC’s. I found myself constantly understanding and empathizing with both, while at the exact same time, I wanted to yell at both for making such silly decisions. For example, on one hand, I understood the MFC and her motivations to keep the MMC’s dice and sell them back to him, she needed money to support her and her mother. Therefore, her actions, while questionable, made sense given the context. I cannot blame her for seeing an opportunity to sell the MMC back his dice to get money in a world where she was barely getting by. At the exact same time, I completely understood why the MMC pursued the MFC and was angry/aggressive towards her. She didn’t chose to do the right thing and wanted to take advantage of him. The domino effect of the MFC’s initial decision to steal the dice created a set of consequences that she had to face. At times, she blamed the MMC for the series of events, but in reality, it all started with her and her choice. So, you can see, I had empathy for her, while also had empathy for the MMC. This internal push-pull of feeling bad for the MFC while also thinking “these are the consequences of your choices,” was really well done. The author created a situation where both perspectives felt valid, even when they contradicted each other.
The MMC’s attraction to the MFC and the “chase” added a lot of tension. And let me tell you, the tension was excellent. Around the 40% mark, I learned more about the MMC’s traumatic and abusive past, which added emotional depth and understanding to his behavior, subsequently making more sense of some of the tension and why he stopped the connection between them at times. The flirting, banter, and growing heat between the two was one of my favorite parts of the story.
However, around 50%, the MFC’s behavior started to pull me out of the story. She frequently reacted with juvenile tantrums. Now, don’t get me wrong, at times her emotions were quite valid, and I fully understood why she was feeling the way she was feeling, but her behavior was incredibly juvenile. For example, she became irate over being “made” to kiss the MMC. She made him smile first, against his will, but said her making him smile was not the same as him making her kiss him (BTW he never actually made her kiss him, he stopped it). Given his trauma through, it made sense why FORCING him to smile was almost exactly the same as making her kiss him (again, she never actually had to kiss him). The MFC did not pause for ONE second to think about him, his past, and why making him smile was a violation and a massive trauma trigger. She did not know a lot about his past, but she knew enough to know that he had been violated. When he compelled her and then stopped it, she immediately blew up, threw a tantrum, and only thought about herself. Unfortunately, this pattern continued. I read other reviews to see if I was the one being dramatic about the MFC and I learned I was not. Other readers thought she had juvenile reactions too. Other examples: 1) she showed very little empathy for the MMC despite knowing he was a torture survivor, yet expected others to empathize with her, 2) she frequently snapped at him, even when he consistently showed up for her, and 3) she made impulsive decisions and then blamed him for the consequences. I was frustrated by the imbalance: the MMC continually supported and protected the MFC, but for a while there she often responded with anger, hypocrisy, or extremely poor decision-making. I felt like the author was trying to write a strong, independent, well boundary woman who stood up for herself, but the way it landed was a strong, independent woman who said boundaries by throwing tantrums, yelling, and having quite dramatic responses. Now, I hate saying, certain behaviors are dramatic, particularly when referring to a woman’s behavior, but the fact that she was a hypocrite by compelling the MMC followed by being mad that he compelled her, and then fully abandoning working with him and stomping away because of that, was her being dramatic. Of course, soon after, she listened to him and started working with him again. I will say, she FINALLY changed near the end.
Now, the hypocrisy is REALLY what irritated the most. The MFC was AWFUL when it came to hypocrisy, at least during the middle of the book. She kept secrets but got angry when the MMC did the same (to the point she had a tantrum), she prioritized her own goals but resented him when he did likewise, and she ignored his warnings repeatedly, ultimately putting him at risk, but got mad when she felt others didn’t listen to her. It became especially frustrating because many of the conflicts stemmed from her refusal to listen or reflect.
The MMC also had his moments. Constantly pushing the MFC away because of his trauma and fear response. I could not blame the MFC for being irritated by the fourth or so time this happened. However, I LOVED that the MFC FINALLY had empathy for the MMC and addressed his trauma. She met him where he was at and gave him what he needed to feel safe and start healing. When she met him with empathy, not anger, of course that was when he finally opened up. I loved this!!!
I want to note, I would probably have more to say about the MMC and my frustrations with his behavior, as he also had his issues, but we never got his POV. Therefore, I have more to say since I had the MFC’s POV the whole book.
Something I really enjoyed about this book was that the MMC did not become a doormat just because he got together with the MFC. She had more morals than him, but she didn’t expect him to be different, nor did he stop being violent and doing what he had to do to protect her and his friends and family. So many books have the MMC turn into a doormat after he meets his woman because she has ethics and doesn’t like that he is morally gray, even though she knew he was morally gray when she got together with him. I love that the author kept the MMC being authentic to who he was, as well as the MFC didn’t ask him to change.
The twist near the end was surprising and started to answer questions I had while listening to the book. Right around this point is also when the MFC showed insight into some of her behavior and acknowledged the consequences of her choices. She started to take ownership over this. This whole book really was about the MFC making choices that were not great and the consequences of her choices. She was just trying to survive and could not make one choice that led to a good outcome.
The ending was devastating, shocking, and awful. The antagonists throughout were also awful, especially with that betrayal at the end. I knew better and saw that betrayal coming. The ending really set up book 2 to hit the ground running with so much thick plot. Also, I’m excited for the MFC’s feminine rage. I LOVE books that have a good couple that are loyal to each other and will fight until the end for each other. That’s exactly what it’s going to happen in book 2 and I cannot wait. I am so excited to listen or read book 2.
Not a critique but something to comment on:
The common trope many of us are getting over was included in this book- The MFC has a super special power that she has to keep secret
Critiques:
While the premise and magic system were unique, the characters themselves didn’t always feel as deeply developed. There was a lot of depth lacking in the individual characters and their relationships. I was hoping for more about these MCs and why they loved each other.
Also, how many times did the MMC have to save the MFC? On the streets, the coffin in the water, on the boat, with the guard, with Dameon… this plot of the MMC saving the MFC was recycled, often.
- 2️⃣ duet narration
- ☝️ mostly single POV
- 🚂 steampunk with advanced technology
- 🤫 hidden magic
- 🪄 unique magic system
- 🔥 flirting & tension
- 😭 sacrifice
- 🔪 betrayal
- 💚Frankenstein coded
- 💕same world as author’s Vows of Vengeance duology
First, the narration….fantastic. Savannah Thomas, as always, absolutely delivered. She brought so much emotional depth to her performance that the MFC felt very real. As Savannah does, she brings an authenticity to the delivery of the characters she narrates that makes every thought and emotion believable. Savannah is so talented, I don’t know how she does it. Sean Masters was equally strong. He did an excellent job differentiating the MMC from the other male voices, especially characters like the MFC’s surgeon friend/boss. That distinction made it easy to follow conversations and stay immersed in the story. At the end of the book, I could feel the MMC‘s pain due to Sean‘s narration. Very well done. The duet narration style really elevated the entire experience. I was already hooked by the writing and plot, but the narrators added another layer of intensity and emotional engagement that made the story even more compelling.
The book grabbed me right away. Chapter one opened with a fast-paced meet-cute between the MFC and MMC, complete with immediate flirting, and chapter two maintained that momentum. I knew early on I was invested and hooked into this book. Overall, the pacing was moderate to fast, really kept me on edge much of the story. The plot was unique, the Frankenstein coded storyline was awesome, the steampunk setting similar to the author’s other duology was really cool, the tension and flirting was beautiful and hot, the antagonists were awful, and the ending was shocking/devastating.
One of the strongest aspects of the book was how the author created empathy within me for both MC’s. I found myself constantly understanding and empathizing with both, while at the exact same time, I wanted to yell at both for making such silly decisions. For example, on one hand, I understood the MFC and her motivations to keep the MMC’s dice and sell them back to him, she needed money to support her and her mother. Therefore, her actions, while questionable, made sense given the context. I cannot blame her for seeing an opportunity to sell the MMC back his dice to get money in a world where she was barely getting by. At the exact same time, I completely understood why the MMC pursued the MFC and was angry/aggressive towards her. She didn’t chose to do the right thing and wanted to take advantage of him. The domino effect of the MFC’s initial decision to steal the dice created a set of consequences that she had to face. At times, she blamed the MMC for the series of events, but in reality, it all started with her and her choice. So, you can see, I had empathy for her, while also had empathy for the MMC. This internal push-pull of feeling bad for the MFC while also thinking “these are the consequences of your choices,” was really well done. The author created a situation where both perspectives felt valid, even when they contradicted each other.
The MMC’s attraction to the MFC and the “chase” added a lot of tension. And let me tell you, the tension was excellent. Around the 40% mark, I learned more about the MMC’s traumatic and abusive past, which added emotional depth and understanding to his behavior, subsequently making more sense of some of the tension and why he stopped the connection between them at times. The flirting, banter, and growing heat between the two was one of my favorite parts of the story.
However, around 50%, the MFC’s behavior started to pull me out of the story. She frequently reacted with juvenile tantrums. Now, don’t get me wrong, at times her emotions were quite valid, and I fully understood why she was feeling the way she was feeling, but her behavior was incredibly juvenile. For example, she became irate over being “made” to kiss the MMC. She made him smile first, against his will, but said her making him smile was not the same as him making her kiss him (BTW he never actually made her kiss him, he stopped it). Given his trauma through, it made sense why FORCING him to smile was almost exactly the same as making her kiss him (again, she never actually had to kiss him). The MFC did not pause for ONE second to think about him, his past, and why making him smile was a violation and a massive trauma trigger. She did not know a lot about his past, but she knew enough to know that he had been violated. When he compelled her and then stopped it, she immediately blew up, threw a tantrum, and only thought about herself. Unfortunately, this pattern continued. I read other reviews to see if I was the one being dramatic about the MFC and I learned I was not. Other readers thought she had juvenile reactions too. Other examples: 1) she showed very little empathy for the MMC despite knowing he was a torture survivor, yet expected others to empathize with her, 2) she frequently snapped at him, even when he consistently showed up for her, and 3) she made impulsive decisions and then blamed him for the consequences. I was frustrated by the imbalance: the MMC continually supported and protected the MFC, but for a while there she often responded with anger, hypocrisy, or extremely poor decision-making. I felt like the author was trying to write a strong, independent, well boundary woman who stood up for herself, but the way it landed was a strong, independent woman who said boundaries by throwing tantrums, yelling, and having quite dramatic responses. Now, I hate saying, certain behaviors are dramatic, particularly when referring to a woman’s behavior, but the fact that she was a hypocrite by compelling the MMC followed by being mad that he compelled her, and then fully abandoning working with him and stomping away because of that, was her being dramatic. Of course, soon after, she listened to him and started working with him again. I will say, she FINALLY changed near the end.
Now, the hypocrisy is REALLY what irritated the most. The MFC was AWFUL when it came to hypocrisy, at least during the middle of the book. She kept secrets but got angry when the MMC did the same (to the point she had a tantrum), she prioritized her own goals but resented him when he did likewise, and she ignored his warnings repeatedly, ultimately putting him at risk, but got mad when she felt others didn’t listen to her. It became especially frustrating because many of the conflicts stemmed from her refusal to listen or reflect.
The MMC also had his moments. Constantly pushing the MFC away because of his trauma and fear response. I could not blame the MFC for being irritated by the fourth or so time this happened. However, I LOVED that the MFC FINALLY had empathy for the MMC and addressed his trauma. She met him where he was at and gave him what he needed to feel safe and start healing. When she met him with empathy, not anger, of course that was when he finally opened up. I loved this!!!
I want to note, I would probably have more to say about the MMC and my frustrations with his behavior, as he also had his issues, but we never got his POV. Therefore, I have more to say since I had the MFC’s POV the whole book.
Something I really enjoyed about this book was that the MMC did not become a doormat just because he got together with the MFC. She had more morals than him, but she didn’t expect him to be different, nor did he stop being violent and doing what he had to do to protect her and his friends and family. So many books have the MMC turn into a doormat after he meets his woman because she has ethics and doesn’t like that he is morally gray, even though she knew he was morally gray when she got together with him. I love that the author kept the MMC being authentic to who he was, as well as the MFC didn’t ask him to change.
The twist near the end was surprising and started to answer questions I had while listening to the book. Right around this point is also when the MFC showed insight into some of her behavior and acknowledged the consequences of her choices. She started to take ownership over this. This whole book really was about the MFC making choices that were not great and the consequences of her choices. She was just trying to survive and could not make one choice that led to a good outcome.
The ending was devastating, shocking, and awful. The antagonists throughout were also awful, especially with that betrayal at the end. I knew better and saw that betrayal coming. The ending really set up book 2 to hit the ground running with so much thick plot. Also, I’m excited for the MFC’s feminine rage. I LOVE books that have a good couple that are loyal to each other and will fight until the end for each other. That’s exactly what it’s going to happen in book 2 and I cannot wait. I am so excited to listen or read book 2.
Not a critique but something to comment on:
The common trope many of us are getting over was included in this book- The MFC has a super special power that she has to keep secret
Critiques:
While the premise and magic system were unique, the characters themselves didn’t always feel as deeply developed. There was a lot of depth lacking in the individual characters and their relationships. I was hoping for more about these MCs and why they loved each other.
Also, how many times did the MMC have to save the MFC? On the streets, the coffin in the water, on the boat, with the guard, with Dameon… this plot of the MMC saving the MFC was recycled, often.
June 21, 2026
1.75 stars. This book is such a frustrating waste of an intricately crafted world that genuinely could have been incredible if the author had taken the time to make it so.
The world is built with so much care. Its geography, sociopolitical structure, and anatomy-based magic system all feel deeply connected, and the Cursed are one of the most plausible interpretations of vampires I have encountered. I wanted to understand the bloodlines, what had actually happened during the trials, what Nina’s father had discovered, and how all of those pieces fit together.
The problem is that the book makes those connections unnecessarily difficult to follow.
My first gripe: geography shapes nearly every part of the story, from politics, class, and culture to the relationships between different groups. Yet there is no map. The geographical aspects of the characters’ journey are essential to understanding the context of what is happening, but so much of their significance was lost on me because it was incredibly difficult to follow where anyone was at any given time.
The writing itself is not actually terrible. On a sentence-by-sentence level, much of it is not only readable but sometimes quite good. The problem is that the book is riddled with continuity errors, missing transitions, vague explanations, and emotional whiplash.
There are repeated physical continuity errors. Nina takes off her shirt in one scene, causing Max to look away in embarrassment when he enters the room. But the book never says she puts it back on as they continue their conversation and eventually leave, even though her being undressed was a central point at the beginning of the scene. At another point, she hides the dice down her bodice before entering the opium den, but soon afterward they are apparently stolen from her pocket when she never textually put them there. At Max’s casino, a suitcase and an entire collection of “her things” appear even though she fled without taking anything and never went back to retrieve it.
These details may sound small individually, but they happened often enough that I stopped trusting the text. Instead of staying immersed in the story, I was constantly trying to work out whether I had missed something or whether the book had simply forgotten what it had already established.
The larger continuity problem is Nina herself.
At the beginning, I liked her. She seemed capable, competent, cautious, and driven by survival. She was hiding a dangerous secret, protecting her mother, doing whatever she needed to do to stay alive, and clearly outsmarting the men in her world. But as the book continued, she became almost unrecognizable.
She swings from being obstinately independent to being completely at the mercy of the men around her. Her emotions jump from one extreme to another with very little development between them, and she repeatedly makes catastrophic decisions on a dime because her feelings get hurt and she chooses to react instead of asking a question, requesting clarification, or communicating with anyone.
She constantly acts to spite other people instead of making her own choices about who she is and what she actually wants. Then, once everything has gone to shit and she has (more often than not) needed to be saved, she acts as though nothing ever happened. The emotional whiplash is honestly borderline traumatizing for the reader.
That pattern happens over and over again. Nina misunderstands something, immediately assumes the worst, reacts at maximum intensity, and makes a decision that completely screws her. Then she learns nothing from it and does essentially the same thing again. There is no meaningful growth, self-awareness, or increasing understanding of herself or the people around her.
By the end, it felt less like Nina was a complicated or emotionally reactive character and more like the author changed her personality to create whatever conflict the current scene required. It genuinely felt as though the book did not know who its own main character was.
That also made the romance extremely difficult to believe.
I liked Max. His history of being experimented on as a child gives him darkness, trauma, and an interior conflict that made me want to understand him. His connection to the trials and the Cursed gives him an actual emotional and thematic relationship to the larger story. Granted, he was possessive, obsessive, and plenty of other things that many people would find questionable in a love interest, but I genuinely liked him.
What I never understood was why he thought Nina was such hot shit.
For roughly three quarters of the book, there is very little emotional intimacy or convincing development supporting their supposed connection. The book tells us that their bond is powerful and important, but it rarely shows us why. Nina’s reactions to Max shift from vaguely neutral to enormously positive or negative, yet there is no narrative progression building a foundation for either the relationship or the intensity of those reactions.
They fight, flirt, and then act as though nothing happened. In all honesty, it does not even qualify as a will-they-won’t-they. Their feelings seem to appear simply because the plot says it is time for them to appear.
The book also repeatedly mistakes vagueness for mystery. Nina keeps mentioning that people do not know “who she is,” and the story occasionally drops hints about her bloodline and abilities as though it is building toward some precise revelation. But the information is handled so unclearly that I often could not tell whether something was meant to be mysterious or was simply poorly explained.
Mystery should make me curious. This frequently just made me confused.
Even the action and character decisions often felt disconnected from the stakes the book itself had established. Max is preparing for a duel to the death with his brother, says he has no time to train, and then spends an hour teaching Nina a basic fighting stance so they can flirt in the ring.
After the fight, time is supposedly of the essence because they have to reach her mother before the experiment on the boat ends the next day, yet they take God knows how long to fuck in a slaughterhouse first—despite Nina constantly claiming that her mother is “the most important thing.”
Moments like that do not feel driven by character or survival logic. They feel like scenes the author wanted to include regardless of whether they made sense where they were placed.
That is what makes this so disappointing. There is a much better book inside this one.
The world has depth. The magic has consequences. The Cursed raise questions about personhood, exploitation, and who gets to decide what makes someone human. The trials suggest something brutal and institutional hidden beneath the mythology of the world. Nina’s father, the bloodlines, the Architect, and the experiments all point toward a story about inherited power and the way violence becomes buried inside systems people have accepted as normal.
I wanted answers about all of that.
But the continuity errors, unclear geography, underdeveloped romance, inconsistent characterization, and Nina’s complete lack of growth made the actual process of reaching those answers exhausting.
I normally finish books in one or two days. This took me well over a week, not because the ideas were too complex, but because the storytelling created so much friction. Curiosity about the world was doing all the work that character investment, romance, pacing, and narrative clarity should have been doing alongside it.
I finished wanting to learn more about almost everything in the world surrounding Nina while having absolutely no desire to spend another book inside her head.
That is a particularly frustrating place for the first installment of a series to leave me. Cannot recommend.
The world is built with so much care. Its geography, sociopolitical structure, and anatomy-based magic system all feel deeply connected, and the Cursed are one of the most plausible interpretations of vampires I have encountered. I wanted to understand the bloodlines, what had actually happened during the trials, what Nina’s father had discovered, and how all of those pieces fit together.
The problem is that the book makes those connections unnecessarily difficult to follow.
My first gripe: geography shapes nearly every part of the story, from politics, class, and culture to the relationships between different groups. Yet there is no map. The geographical aspects of the characters’ journey are essential to understanding the context of what is happening, but so much of their significance was lost on me because it was incredibly difficult to follow where anyone was at any given time.
The writing itself is not actually terrible. On a sentence-by-sentence level, much of it is not only readable but sometimes quite good. The problem is that the book is riddled with continuity errors, missing transitions, vague explanations, and emotional whiplash.
There are repeated physical continuity errors. Nina takes off her shirt in one scene, causing Max to look away in embarrassment when he enters the room. But the book never says she puts it back on as they continue their conversation and eventually leave, even though her being undressed was a central point at the beginning of the scene. At another point, she hides the dice down her bodice before entering the opium den, but soon afterward they are apparently stolen from her pocket when she never textually put them there. At Max’s casino, a suitcase and an entire collection of “her things” appear even though she fled without taking anything and never went back to retrieve it.
These details may sound small individually, but they happened often enough that I stopped trusting the text. Instead of staying immersed in the story, I was constantly trying to work out whether I had missed something or whether the book had simply forgotten what it had already established.
The larger continuity problem is Nina herself.
At the beginning, I liked her. She seemed capable, competent, cautious, and driven by survival. She was hiding a dangerous secret, protecting her mother, doing whatever she needed to do to stay alive, and clearly outsmarting the men in her world. But as the book continued, she became almost unrecognizable.
She swings from being obstinately independent to being completely at the mercy of the men around her. Her emotions jump from one extreme to another with very little development between them, and she repeatedly makes catastrophic decisions on a dime because her feelings get hurt and she chooses to react instead of asking a question, requesting clarification, or communicating with anyone.
She constantly acts to spite other people instead of making her own choices about who she is and what she actually wants. Then, once everything has gone to shit and she has (more often than not) needed to be saved, she acts as though nothing ever happened. The emotional whiplash is honestly borderline traumatizing for the reader.
That pattern happens over and over again. Nina misunderstands something, immediately assumes the worst, reacts at maximum intensity, and makes a decision that completely screws her. Then she learns nothing from it and does essentially the same thing again. There is no meaningful growth, self-awareness, or increasing understanding of herself or the people around her.
By the end, it felt less like Nina was a complicated or emotionally reactive character and more like the author changed her personality to create whatever conflict the current scene required. It genuinely felt as though the book did not know who its own main character was.
That also made the romance extremely difficult to believe.
I liked Max. His history of being experimented on as a child gives him darkness, trauma, and an interior conflict that made me want to understand him. His connection to the trials and the Cursed gives him an actual emotional and thematic relationship to the larger story. Granted, he was possessive, obsessive, and plenty of other things that many people would find questionable in a love interest, but I genuinely liked him.
What I never understood was why he thought Nina was such hot shit.
For roughly three quarters of the book, there is very little emotional intimacy or convincing development supporting their supposed connection. The book tells us that their bond is powerful and important, but it rarely shows us why. Nina’s reactions to Max shift from vaguely neutral to enormously positive or negative, yet there is no narrative progression building a foundation for either the relationship or the intensity of those reactions.
They fight, flirt, and then act as though nothing happened. In all honesty, it does not even qualify as a will-they-won’t-they. Their feelings seem to appear simply because the plot says it is time for them to appear.
The book also repeatedly mistakes vagueness for mystery. Nina keeps mentioning that people do not know “who she is,” and the story occasionally drops hints about her bloodline and abilities as though it is building toward some precise revelation. But the information is handled so unclearly that I often could not tell whether something was meant to be mysterious or was simply poorly explained.
Mystery should make me curious. This frequently just made me confused.
Even the action and character decisions often felt disconnected from the stakes the book itself had established. Max is preparing for a duel to the death with his brother, says he has no time to train, and then spends an hour teaching Nina a basic fighting stance so they can flirt in the ring.
After the fight, time is supposedly of the essence because they have to reach her mother before the experiment on the boat ends the next day, yet they take God knows how long to fuck in a slaughterhouse first—despite Nina constantly claiming that her mother is “the most important thing.”
Moments like that do not feel driven by character or survival logic. They feel like scenes the author wanted to include regardless of whether they made sense where they were placed.
That is what makes this so disappointing. There is a much better book inside this one.
The world has depth. The magic has consequences. The Cursed raise questions about personhood, exploitation, and who gets to decide what makes someone human. The trials suggest something brutal and institutional hidden beneath the mythology of the world. Nina’s father, the bloodlines, the Architect, and the experiments all point toward a story about inherited power and the way violence becomes buried inside systems people have accepted as normal.
I wanted answers about all of that.
But the continuity errors, unclear geography, underdeveloped romance, inconsistent characterization, and Nina’s complete lack of growth made the actual process of reaching those answers exhausting.
I normally finish books in one or two days. This took me well over a week, not because the ideas were too complex, but because the storytelling created so much friction. Curiosity about the world was doing all the work that character investment, romance, pacing, and narrative clarity should have been doing alongside it.
I finished wanting to learn more about almost everything in the world surrounding Nina while having absolutely no desire to spend another book inside her head.
That is a particularly frustrating place for the first installment of a series to leave me. Cannot recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Forever & Second Sky books for the eARC via NetGalley.
I grabbed this as a Read Now, because I absolutely loved Alexis' Vows of Vengeance series, which I read when they were indie published. That duology had such a hold on me, mixing dark and gritty with steamy romance and passion in such a beautiful blend that I've only found in a few other books so far (namely, A Forbidden Alchemy and Terror at the Gates), and I was really hoping for more of those vibes in this book with the addition of a magical element.
Well, I certainly got the magic.
The premise of this book sounds perfect: illegal magical abilities, framed for murder, catches the eye of the local crime boss who decides to help our FMC... it should have been great. And honestly, it started off strong, easing the reader into Nina's life and how she gets caught up in some sketchy things and then framed for a high-profile murder.
However, I missed the beautiful writing from the Vows of Vengeance duology, and it felt like the book started to lose the plot around halfway through; by 75% percent, I feel like it had lost it's focus entirely. There is just SO much going on, and I feel like nothing stands out as The Main Plotline all that well. We start off with one plot thread, and then a twist to another plot thread, which ok, they are linked, I'm still following... but then we throw in a few more and now that 2nd plot thread is an after thought (and for Nina, it really shouldn't be), and we start to focus on yet another aspect of this story that almost feels unnecessary... it overall just feels messy to me. And I'm really struggling to understand what is going on and the importance of some of these plot points, especially when you add in some of the inconsistancies in events throughout the book.
But what really caused me to put this book down at the 80% mark are three things: my ever-increasing frustrations with Nina; the SA which is not specified in the Content Warnings (more on that in a bit); and the fact that we have vampirical characters (which I was not aware of).
First, Nina. She's a surgeon's assistant, and seems like she's smart and has a good head on her shoulders. But as we progress through the book, she kind of flip-flops on how she feels towards Max a little too wildly for me, to the point where I don't really think she LIKES him as much as she LUSTS for him, when he very clearly likes her. And she makes increasingly less-intelligent decisions, supposedly having plans but then as she enacts them she very clearly does NOT have a plan. She doesn't seem to think things through and gets herself into more trouble than is really necessary for a single book.
Which brings us to the SA. The content warnings in the front of the eARC that I read note "graphic violence" and "graphic sexual content", among other things. However, I feel there is a distinct enough difference between these two content triggers that are listed, and specifically calling out non-consensual sexual content, especially when the book cover itself notes that it is "A Spicy Fantasy Romance Adventure", so you expect explicit romance to a certain extent... but not SA. What else would you call it when Nina is, against her will, by some of the male antagonists in this story? And then when you compare this to the fact that (again, at 80%) the MCs have really only made out once?
As for the vampires bit - I'm just not into vampires at all lately, and have not been interested in reading about those kinds of characters. If I had known that there were vampires of a sort included in this book, that alone would have been enough to convince me that maybe I wasn't going to enjoy this book, especially when the vampiric traits are referenced frequently.
While I was ultimately disappointed in this book, I am still hopeful for the other books that Alexis is working on, and will still give them a read when they eventually are ready to be released.
I grabbed this as a Read Now, because I absolutely loved Alexis' Vows of Vengeance series, which I read when they were indie published. That duology had such a hold on me, mixing dark and gritty with steamy romance and passion in such a beautiful blend that I've only found in a few other books so far (namely, A Forbidden Alchemy and Terror at the Gates), and I was really hoping for more of those vibes in this book with the addition of a magical element.
Well, I certainly got the magic.
The premise of this book sounds perfect: illegal magical abilities, framed for murder, catches the eye of the local crime boss who decides to help our FMC... it should have been great. And honestly, it started off strong, easing the reader into Nina's life and how she gets caught up in some sketchy things and then framed for a high-profile murder.
However, I missed the beautiful writing from the Vows of Vengeance duology, and it felt like the book started to lose the plot around halfway through; by 75% percent, I feel like it had lost it's focus entirely. There is just SO much going on, and I feel like nothing stands out as The Main Plotline all that well. We start off with one plot thread, and then a twist to another plot thread, which ok, they are linked, I'm still following... but then we throw in a few more and now that 2nd plot thread is an after thought (and for Nina, it really shouldn't be), and we start to focus on yet another aspect of this story that almost feels unnecessary... it overall just feels messy to me. And I'm really struggling to understand what is going on and the importance of some of these plot points, especially when you add in some of the inconsistancies in events throughout the book.
But what really caused me to put this book down at the 80% mark are three things: my ever-increasing frustrations with Nina; the SA which is not specified in the Content Warnings (more on that in a bit); and the fact that we have vampirical characters (which I was not aware of).
First, Nina. She's a surgeon's assistant, and seems like she's smart and has a good head on her shoulders. But as we progress through the book, she kind of flip-flops on how she feels towards Max a little too wildly for me, to the point where I don't really think she LIKES him as much as she LUSTS for him, when he very clearly likes her. And she makes increasingly less-intelligent decisions, supposedly having plans but then as she enacts them she very clearly does NOT have a plan. She doesn't seem to think things through and gets herself into more trouble than is really necessary for a single book.
Which brings us to the SA. The content warnings in the front of the eARC that I read note "graphic violence" and "graphic sexual content", among other things. However, I feel there is a distinct enough difference between these two content triggers that are listed, and specifically calling out non-consensual sexual content, especially when the book cover itself notes that it is "A Spicy Fantasy Romance Adventure", so you expect explicit romance to a certain extent... but not SA. What else would you call it when Nina is, against her will, by some of the male antagonists in this story? And then when you compare this to the fact that (again, at 80%) the MCs have really only made out once?
As for the vampires bit - I'm just not into vampires at all lately, and have not been interested in reading about those kinds of characters. If I had known that there were vampires of a sort included in this book, that alone would have been enough to convince me that maybe I wasn't going to enjoy this book, especially when the vampiric traits are referenced frequently.
While I was ultimately disappointed in this book, I am still hopeful for the other books that Alexis is working on, and will still give them a read when they eventually are ready to be released.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“If I ran…would you chase me?”
“Fuck, Nina.” His face sought the curve of my neck, groaning. “ Yes. I would chase you to the edges of the map and beyond.”
The Anatomy of Magic is the first instalment in the gaslamp dark romantasy series, Darkest Desires. Written primarily in first person POV the story follows surgery assistant Nina Veyr who finds herself embroiled further into the underbelly of the criminal world of Valveron when her smuggling job goes haywire and she finds herself on the run for murder. She ends up unwillingly allying herself with a powerful crime boss who she stole from and she's suspicious of his motive. Add in the fact Nina has a rare form of magic that could get her in a lot of trouble, Nina must decide if she's willing to risk her heart in the city's underbelly for a chance of truth and freedom or will she find herself lost to the secrets deep within?
Oh I had a good time with this book!
Nina is the FMC you get to see grow into a power house! She is a healer who wants to do good but she is also desperate to protect and help her ailing mother so she's willing to get down and dirty. I liked seeing how tenacious she is and the lengths she is willing to go. She also refuses to be set on the sidelines of her life. Watching her embrace parts of her that she tried to hide was amazing!
Max is our morally grey MMC and he has the kind of back story you can sink your teeth into. I found his entry into the book to really help him hit the ground running. He is charming and antagonistic to Nina but it felt like his way of trying to ignore how he feels about her. As the story progresses he becomes more feral and I was living for it. His abilities and magic and past help you feel for him and gosh he ripped into my heart a few times. Though he does have to do some grovelling at one point.
“Careful, Ace. Where I’m from, we use threats like that as foreplay.”
“I suppose that explains why I’m better at them than you are.”
“Well, that sounds like a challenge.”
In terms of spice I would place this novel at 1.5 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. There is one spicy scene in this novel in the later second half of this book. This is a slow burn as our characters do not start off necessarily on a good note but forced proximity means they're stuck together. The spice is detailed and explicit and I added the 0.5 because it's also a bit kinky in the best of ways. These two characters have a relationship that builds in intensity and I loved how it all came together because they finally are something it has been a journey to get there!
The story is a journey that is tense, fulfilling, and packed with twists and turns. It takes you into the heart of this world and it's lore and I was on there for the ride! I liked how there was a clear enough objective guiding the movement of the story around Nina tracking down those killers of the man she's accused of killing. I also found they way her unique backstory and Max's blends into this journey. I love when a story spirals together so it all feels cohesive, especially when there is a focus on family. There is a lot of tension and grit to this world as we deal with surgery, body smuggling, and criminals willing to hurt for their own gains. The magic system is fascinating in how people can gain access to the magic at a high cost. The side characters kept our characters moving along even when they didn't get along and Nina being lucky was a hilarious running joke of the story. The ending builds into some really good action packed scenes with revelations that shake up the world. My heart stopped a couple times when I realized what was going on! The ending is a cliffhanger and it is a doozy so be prepared!
Overall this book has all the grittiness, magic, romance, and mystery that you need in your romantasies! I cannot wait for what comes next!
Thank you to Read Forever and Hachette Book Group for this arc!
“If I ran…would you chase me?”
“Fuck, Nina.” His face sought the curve of my neck, groaning. “ Yes. I would chase you to the edges of the map and beyond.”
The Anatomy of Magic is the first instalment in the gaslamp dark romantasy series, Darkest Desires. Written primarily in first person POV the story follows surgery assistant Nina Veyr who finds herself embroiled further into the underbelly of the criminal world of Valveron when her smuggling job goes haywire and she finds herself on the run for murder. She ends up unwillingly allying herself with a powerful crime boss who she stole from and she's suspicious of his motive. Add in the fact Nina has a rare form of magic that could get her in a lot of trouble, Nina must decide if she's willing to risk her heart in the city's underbelly for a chance of truth and freedom or will she find herself lost to the secrets deep within?
Oh I had a good time with this book!
Nina is the FMC you get to see grow into a power house! She is a healer who wants to do good but she is also desperate to protect and help her ailing mother so she's willing to get down and dirty. I liked seeing how tenacious she is and the lengths she is willing to go. She also refuses to be set on the sidelines of her life. Watching her embrace parts of her that she tried to hide was amazing!
Max is our morally grey MMC and he has the kind of back story you can sink your teeth into. I found his entry into the book to really help him hit the ground running. He is charming and antagonistic to Nina but it felt like his way of trying to ignore how he feels about her. As the story progresses he becomes more feral and I was living for it. His abilities and magic and past help you feel for him and gosh he ripped into my heart a few times. Though he does have to do some grovelling at one point.
“Careful, Ace. Where I’m from, we use threats like that as foreplay.”
“I suppose that explains why I’m better at them than you are.”
“Well, that sounds like a challenge.”
In terms of spice I would place this novel at 1.5 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. There is one spicy scene in this novel in the later second half of this book. This is a slow burn as our characters do not start off necessarily on a good note but forced proximity means they're stuck together. The spice is detailed and explicit and I added the 0.5 because it's also a bit kinky in the best of ways. These two characters have a relationship that builds in intensity and I loved how it all came together because they finally are something it has been a journey to get there!
The story is a journey that is tense, fulfilling, and packed with twists and turns. It takes you into the heart of this world and it's lore and I was on there for the ride! I liked how there was a clear enough objective guiding the movement of the story around Nina tracking down those killers of the man she's accused of killing. I also found they way her unique backstory and Max's blends into this journey. I love when a story spirals together so it all feels cohesive, especially when there is a focus on family. There is a lot of tension and grit to this world as we deal with surgery, body smuggling, and criminals willing to hurt for their own gains. The magic system is fascinating in how people can gain access to the magic at a high cost. The side characters kept our characters moving along even when they didn't get along and Nina being lucky was a hilarious running joke of the story. The ending builds into some really good action packed scenes with revelations that shake up the world. My heart stopped a couple times when I realized what was going on! The ending is a cliffhanger and it is a doozy so be prepared!
Overall this book has all the grittiness, magic, romance, and mystery that you need in your romantasies! I cannot wait for what comes next!
Thank you to Read Forever and Hachette Book Group for this arc!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book is fantastic. There's no other way to describe it. I binged the audiobook in essentially two sessions. Tropes include reluctant allies, yearning, touch-her-and-die, found family and hidden abilities.
Our main character Nina is everything I want to see in a main character; she's intelligent, she has motivations, she has her priorities in order. Even when a hot stranger appears bleeding out on her counter with whom she instantly has chemistry, she still maintains her integrity and doesn't just instantly throw all her plans and priorities out the window to follow him around.
"Don't change who you are for these bastards. Certainly not for me."
Max is such a deep character and so well-fleshed. He has a history, a tragic backstory that makes sense and has obviously shaped him. His past traumas and sensibilities actually give him personality and reflect on his actions. He has flaws and anxieties and the way he treats Nina is beautiful. He is protective and slightly possessive but also so respectful of her and her wishes. In no way is he overbearing or controlling, in fact he EMBODIES the term yearning. He also connects with side characters in a real manner, not just in a way that makes it seem like the author has just remembered to throw other people into the mix. I literally could not ask for a more perfect love interest.
The tension between them is just visceral and I love how it built over time rather than being an insta-lust/love situation that most romantasies trend towards. The situations that force them to work together actually had substance rather than it seeming like an excuse to make them spend time together. He doesn't just instantly forgive a stranger's transgressions against him just because she's pretty. It actually made me so invested in the storyline AND their connection, not just one or the other because the secondary is lacking.
The plot in this is incredible. There was direction, intrigue, actual mystery, a plethora of well-fleshed side characters with their own complications and motivations. The lore and world-building in this book was so well done; the magic and myth described in a manner that made sense and didn't just feel like info-dumping. It was such a unique magic system with enough complexities to give it depth and not enough to make it unrealistic as a concept. The twists and turns were subtle enough to give you a hint that there was something deeper going on but so well-placed as to not instantaneously be obvious so that there's little to no satisfaction in the actual reveal. The world is gritty and real, giving a somewhat mafia vibe without actually being an undercity setting.
I was lucky enough to be approved for the audiobook ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The narration was so good as to actually allow the quality of writing to shine through (well done Savannah Thomas), and Sean Masters' voice is just divine. Suffice it to say I adore the world and characters Alexis Menard has created and I cannot wait to see where she takes it next. I'm actually upset that I can't read the next book instantly and as soon as this is actually published (June 30th, mark your calendars) I will be running to purchase a physical copy for my shelves, no joke.
Our main character Nina is everything I want to see in a main character; she's intelligent, she has motivations, she has her priorities in order. Even when a hot stranger appears bleeding out on her counter with whom she instantly has chemistry, she still maintains her integrity and doesn't just instantly throw all her plans and priorities out the window to follow him around.
"Don't change who you are for these bastards. Certainly not for me."
Max is such a deep character and so well-fleshed. He has a history, a tragic backstory that makes sense and has obviously shaped him. His past traumas and sensibilities actually give him personality and reflect on his actions. He has flaws and anxieties and the way he treats Nina is beautiful. He is protective and slightly possessive but also so respectful of her and her wishes. In no way is he overbearing or controlling, in fact he EMBODIES the term yearning. He also connects with side characters in a real manner, not just in a way that makes it seem like the author has just remembered to throw other people into the mix. I literally could not ask for a more perfect love interest.
The tension between them is just visceral and I love how it built over time rather than being an insta-lust/love situation that most romantasies trend towards. The situations that force them to work together actually had substance rather than it seeming like an excuse to make them spend time together. He doesn't just instantly forgive a stranger's transgressions against him just because she's pretty. It actually made me so invested in the storyline AND their connection, not just one or the other because the secondary is lacking.
The plot in this is incredible. There was direction, intrigue, actual mystery, a plethora of well-fleshed side characters with their own complications and motivations. The lore and world-building in this book was so well done; the magic and myth described in a manner that made sense and didn't just feel like info-dumping. It was such a unique magic system with enough complexities to give it depth and not enough to make it unrealistic as a concept. The twists and turns were subtle enough to give you a hint that there was something deeper going on but so well-placed as to not instantaneously be obvious so that there's little to no satisfaction in the actual reveal. The world is gritty and real, giving a somewhat mafia vibe without actually being an undercity setting.
I was lucky enough to be approved for the audiobook ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The narration was so good as to actually allow the quality of writing to shine through (well done Savannah Thomas), and Sean Masters' voice is just divine. Suffice it to say I adore the world and characters Alexis Menard has created and I cannot wait to see where she takes it next. I'm actually upset that I can't read the next book instantly and as soon as this is actually published (June 30th, mark your calendars) I will be running to purchase a physical copy for my shelves, no joke.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Okay this was a definitely a surprise, I chose this based on the cover alone and I don't always have good luck when I do that but The Anatomy of Magic was so good!
Nina is just trying to make it in The Fissures (basically the slums of her city). By day she is a surgeon's assistant and by night she's smuggling dead bodies down the canal. She's doing everything she can to take care of her ailing mother and to make a life for herself but when a stranger comes in to the clinic bleeding all over her front desk, Nina's life take a huge turn!
Nina is a fantastic FMC, she's strong, vulnerable and has secret magic powers! Max is one of those self loathing broody type MMCs but is secretly obsessed with our girl. He's definitely got a traumatic past and Nina slowly starts bringing him out of his self loathing and gets him to start believing he's deserving of her and a good life. Their adventure is exciting and scary and fun, and crazy, I literally could not put it down until 2AM when my eyes finally gave out lol. The magic system is unique, especially the relics and coding. I've never come across this before and it was really interesting to learn the nuances of it. I have a feeling that a lot more of the magic system will be revealed in the next book as well with how it ends. The side characters (most of them) are lovable and memorable and the big finale is insane and devastating and leaves you wanting the next book IMMEDIATELY!
My only real gripes were one, that it was hard for me to nail down what type of world we were in. At one point Nina is excited to see a "motorcar" and she uses a mule and cart to get around but yet she works as a surgeon and there's all types of technology mentioned throughout the book so I was a bit confused. And my other gripe would be that there's a couple of times that Nina and Max argue for no good reason and they both fly off the handle very quickly, it caught me off guard and I thought it was unnecessary as their relationship was already tense and filled with longing on both sides.
I did listen to some of this and I absolutely adore Savannah Thomas and have for years. Her voice was perfect for Nina, she had such good tones and inflections in her narration. Sean Masters did a good job as well I just wish he would distinguish between the characters he narrates just a bit more. Towards the end they all seem to start sounding the same unfortunately. But I will continue to listen to this series as they did a great job overall.
Overall an exciting romantasy with some mystery thrown in. I'm very much looking forward to the next one! Thank you to Bookouture Audio and Second Sky Books for gifting me this ALC and eARC!
Nina is just trying to make it in The Fissures (basically the slums of her city). By day she is a surgeon's assistant and by night she's smuggling dead bodies down the canal. She's doing everything she can to take care of her ailing mother and to make a life for herself but when a stranger comes in to the clinic bleeding all over her front desk, Nina's life take a huge turn!
Nina is a fantastic FMC, she's strong, vulnerable and has secret magic powers! Max is one of those self loathing broody type MMCs but is secretly obsessed with our girl. He's definitely got a traumatic past and Nina slowly starts bringing him out of his self loathing and gets him to start believing he's deserving of her and a good life. Their adventure is exciting and scary and fun, and crazy, I literally could not put it down until 2AM when my eyes finally gave out lol. The magic system is unique, especially the relics and coding. I've never come across this before and it was really interesting to learn the nuances of it. I have a feeling that a lot more of the magic system will be revealed in the next book as well with how it ends. The side characters (most of them) are lovable and memorable and the big finale is insane and devastating and leaves you wanting the next book IMMEDIATELY!
My only real gripes were one, that it was hard for me to nail down what type of world we were in. At one point Nina is excited to see a "motorcar" and she uses a mule and cart to get around but yet she works as a surgeon and there's all types of technology mentioned throughout the book so I was a bit confused. And my other gripe would be that there's a couple of times that Nina and Max argue for no good reason and they both fly off the handle very quickly, it caught me off guard and I thought it was unnecessary as their relationship was already tense and filled with longing on both sides.
I did listen to some of this and I absolutely adore Savannah Thomas and have for years. Her voice was perfect for Nina, she had such good tones and inflections in her narration. Sean Masters did a good job as well I just wish he would distinguish between the characters he narrates just a bit more. Towards the end they all seem to start sounding the same unfortunately. But I will continue to listen to this series as they did a great job overall.
Overall an exciting romantasy with some mystery thrown in. I'm very much looking forward to the next one! Thank you to Bookouture Audio and Second Sky Books for gifting me this ALC and eARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Final Rating 3.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley, Alexis Menard and Second Sky Publishing for an ARC of The Anatomy of Magic in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As someone who read Menard's Order and Chaos series and absolutely loved it, I was ecstatic to get an ARC of this book. Like Order and Chaos, Menard created a cool magic system and complex characters.
This book follows Nina and Max who are brought together under some strange circumstances. Nina works in a surgery, and sells artifacts (read: stolen, read: objects with magical abilities) and smuggles dead bodies on the side, in an attempt to make sure money and build a better life for herself and her sick mother. Max, one of the "cursed," stumbles into the surgery one night with injuries, but also inquiring about a pair of dice that were stolen from him. And of course, Nina had come into possession of said dice earlier in the night.
When Max realizes that Nina has his artifacts, it creates a cat and mouse game across the city, which leads them to a tentative truce to find Nina's mother, while also figuring out why dead bodies are being smuggled, and what it has to do with the various bloodline powers throughout the realm.
As noted prior, the magic in this series is very cool and different, and its not so confusing that it muddles the plot. Menard does a good job in explaining the way that the bloodlines work, how the various artifacts work, and how the cursed were created.
I also like both Nina and Max as characters. Nina is strong and determined, and knows exactly what she wants. She will do anything within her power to help those that she loves. I do wish that Nina was able to show a bit more empathy at times towards Max, especially after she knows about some of his trauma.
Max definitely took longer to open up to, but once we got to see behind the curtain, I liked his character even more. He has a very tragic past, and is doing everything he can in order to make things right. He is closed off for a long portion of the book, which is understandable given the circumstances and his inability to trust new people. His actions at the end of the book definitely made me fall for him as an MMC even more. I am hoping we get more of his POV in the next book in the series so we really get a peek at his inner monologue.
Something about the pacing of the book was difficult for me, and I'm not sure if it was a me problem or the overall plot. However, I did enjoy it and would recommend The Anatomy of Magic to those who like strong female characters, a unique magic system, and characters who don't really like each other going on a journey together.
The Anatomy of Magic releases June 30 2026.
Thank you to NetGalley, Alexis Menard and Second Sky Publishing for an ARC of The Anatomy of Magic in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
As someone who read Menard's Order and Chaos series and absolutely loved it, I was ecstatic to get an ARC of this book. Like Order and Chaos, Menard created a cool magic system and complex characters.
This book follows Nina and Max who are brought together under some strange circumstances. Nina works in a surgery, and sells artifacts (read: stolen, read: objects with magical abilities) and smuggles dead bodies on the side, in an attempt to make sure money and build a better life for herself and her sick mother. Max, one of the "cursed," stumbles into the surgery one night with injuries, but also inquiring about a pair of dice that were stolen from him. And of course, Nina had come into possession of said dice earlier in the night.
When Max realizes that Nina has his artifacts, it creates a cat and mouse game across the city, which leads them to a tentative truce to find Nina's mother, while also figuring out why dead bodies are being smuggled, and what it has to do with the various bloodline powers throughout the realm.
As noted prior, the magic in this series is very cool and different, and its not so confusing that it muddles the plot. Menard does a good job in explaining the way that the bloodlines work, how the various artifacts work, and how the cursed were created.
I also like both Nina and Max as characters. Nina is strong and determined, and knows exactly what she wants. She will do anything within her power to help those that she loves. I do wish that Nina was able to show a bit more empathy at times towards Max, especially after she knows about some of his trauma.
Max definitely took longer to open up to, but once we got to see behind the curtain, I liked his character even more. He has a very tragic past, and is doing everything he can in order to make things right. He is closed off for a long portion of the book, which is understandable given the circumstances and his inability to trust new people. His actions at the end of the book definitely made me fall for him as an MMC even more. I am hoping we get more of his POV in the next book in the series so we really get a peek at his inner monologue.
Something about the pacing of the book was difficult for me, and I'm not sure if it was a me problem or the overall plot. However, I did enjoy it and would recommend The Anatomy of Magic to those who like strong female characters, a unique magic system, and characters who don't really like each other going on a journey together.
The Anatomy of Magic releases June 30 2026.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was so much fun!! I love when a fantasy world has a magic system that acts as both a weapon and a currency. Between the forbidden powers, the brutal underworld politics, and a romance full of incredible tension, this book was impossible to put down.
The world of Valveron is dark and layered, and I loved how the magic system blended science, bloodlines, relics, and corruption into something that felt intricate without becoming overwhelming. Every reveal added another piece to the puzzle, and the deeper the story went, the more obsessed I became with uncovering the secrets hidden beneath the city.
Nina was such an easy protagonist to root for. She’s sharp, resourceful, and willing to do whatever it takes to survive, but she still has this vulnerability underneath all her determination that made her feel incredibly human. And Max? Alexis L. Menard knew exactly what she was doing with him. A crime lord with a tortured past, morally gray tendencies, and a soft spot he absolutely does not want anyone discovering? I was done for immediately.
The chemistry between Nina and Max is one of the strongest parts of the book. The banter is razor sharp, the tension is relentless, and the slow unraveling of their walls felt so natural. Their relationship had that perfect push-and-pull energy where every conversation felt loaded with distrust and yearning all at once. And when the romance finally gives in to the tension… totally worth the wait!
I also loved that the romance never overshadowed the plot. There’s murder, betrayal, dangerous experiments, family rivalries, chase sequences, and constant twists that kept the pacing fast without sacrificing emotional depth. Every chapter seemed to raise the stakes higher, and just when I thought I had things figured out, the story hit me with another reveal.
But that ENDING?! RUDE!! The final stretch absolutely shattered me in the best way possible and left me desperate for the next book immediately. If you love morally gray characters, intricate magic systems, a criminal underworld, and fantasy romance filled with tension, banter, and wonderful chemistry, this one deserves a spot on your TBR! Now give me book 2 now!!!
Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for this eARC!
The world of Valveron is dark and layered, and I loved how the magic system blended science, bloodlines, relics, and corruption into something that felt intricate without becoming overwhelming. Every reveal added another piece to the puzzle, and the deeper the story went, the more obsessed I became with uncovering the secrets hidden beneath the city.
Nina was such an easy protagonist to root for. She’s sharp, resourceful, and willing to do whatever it takes to survive, but she still has this vulnerability underneath all her determination that made her feel incredibly human. And Max? Alexis L. Menard knew exactly what she was doing with him. A crime lord with a tortured past, morally gray tendencies, and a soft spot he absolutely does not want anyone discovering? I was done for immediately.
The chemistry between Nina and Max is one of the strongest parts of the book. The banter is razor sharp, the tension is relentless, and the slow unraveling of their walls felt so natural. Their relationship had that perfect push-and-pull energy where every conversation felt loaded with distrust and yearning all at once. And when the romance finally gives in to the tension… totally worth the wait!
I also loved that the romance never overshadowed the plot. There’s murder, betrayal, dangerous experiments, family rivalries, chase sequences, and constant twists that kept the pacing fast without sacrificing emotional depth. Every chapter seemed to raise the stakes higher, and just when I thought I had things figured out, the story hit me with another reveal.
But that ENDING?! RUDE!! The final stretch absolutely shattered me in the best way possible and left me desperate for the next book immediately. If you love morally gray characters, intricate magic systems, a criminal underworld, and fantasy romance filled with tension, banter, and wonderful chemistry, this one deserves a spot on your TBR! Now give me book 2 now!!!
Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for this eARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"His gaze dropped, lingering on my mouth when I spoke his full name. It was the first time I'd ever said it, and it seemed to snag something in him, to hold him. His lips parted, as though to speak. Instead, he exhaled slowly..."
— The Anatomy of Magic by Alexis L. Menard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 || 🌶🌶
Ohhhhh, what a delicious new romantasy this is.
Now, @secondskybooks always bring the good stuff, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for just how GOOD this was going to be. I literally could not put it down. And that ending? Alexis, how DARE you. I hope book two is already locked and loaded because I need it immediately.
The Anatomy of Magic follows Nina, a young woman living in the Fissures who works as a surgeon while secretly selling dead bodies on the black market to the mysterious "Buyer." One night, a dangerously mysterious outsider arrives desperate for her help. After saving his life, a chain of events leaves Nina framed for murder and her mother kidnapped, forcing her to work with him... even though he is kind of, sort of, definitely extremely dangerous.
There is chaos. There is banter -SO much banter. There is sizzling tension. And let me tell you: I ate. It. Up.
Max is the ultimate brooding MMC who would absolutely burn the world for her, and I LOVED watching him go from dangerous enemy willing to kill Nina to repeatedly putting his own life on the line for hers - all while delivering a witty line like it’s nothing. The chemistry between Max and Nina had me kicking my feet. THIS is why I read romantasy.
And the plot? The magic system? So fresh and original. Think industrial steampunk meets Frankenstein... but with magic. You've got ritualistic magic, genetic magic, blood magic — and then you've got Nina, who somehow exists outside all of it. In a genre where stories can sometimes blur together, this felt genuinely unique, exciting, and completely addictive.
Overall, this was an incredible read and the perfect steamy romantasy. If you love enemies to lovers, mystery, unique magic systems, political intrigue, and industrial steampunk settings, this one is absolutely for you.
The Anatomy of Magic releases June 30th.
Thank you to @secondskybooks and @netgalley for the gifted eARC.
#TheAnatomyOfMagic #Romantasy #BookReview #NetGalley
— The Anatomy of Magic by Alexis L. Menard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 || 🌶🌶
Ohhhhh, what a delicious new romantasy this is.
Now, @secondskybooks always bring the good stuff, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for just how GOOD this was going to be. I literally could not put it down. And that ending? Alexis, how DARE you. I hope book two is already locked and loaded because I need it immediately.
The Anatomy of Magic follows Nina, a young woman living in the Fissures who works as a surgeon while secretly selling dead bodies on the black market to the mysterious "Buyer." One night, a dangerously mysterious outsider arrives desperate for her help. After saving his life, a chain of events leaves Nina framed for murder and her mother kidnapped, forcing her to work with him... even though he is kind of, sort of, definitely extremely dangerous.
There is chaos. There is banter -SO much banter. There is sizzling tension. And let me tell you: I ate. It. Up.
Max is the ultimate brooding MMC who would absolutely burn the world for her, and I LOVED watching him go from dangerous enemy willing to kill Nina to repeatedly putting his own life on the line for hers - all while delivering a witty line like it’s nothing. The chemistry between Max and Nina had me kicking my feet. THIS is why I read romantasy.
And the plot? The magic system? So fresh and original. Think industrial steampunk meets Frankenstein... but with magic. You've got ritualistic magic, genetic magic, blood magic — and then you've got Nina, who somehow exists outside all of it. In a genre where stories can sometimes blur together, this felt genuinely unique, exciting, and completely addictive.
Overall, this was an incredible read and the perfect steamy romantasy. If you love enemies to lovers, mystery, unique magic systems, political intrigue, and industrial steampunk settings, this one is absolutely for you.
The Anatomy of Magic releases June 30th.
Thank you to @secondskybooks and @netgalley for the gifted eARC.
#TheAnatomyOfMagic #Romantasy #BookReview #NetGalley
June 22, 2026
Thank you netgalley and Skyline Press for the ARC, all thoughts are my own…
4 ⭐️
The Anatomy of Magic delivers a fascinating blend of gothic fantasy, science, and horror that immediately gave me Frankenstein-meets-vampires vibes. Set in the grim industrial city of Valveron, the story follows Nina, a surgeon's assistant hiding dangerous abilities that could get her executed if discovered. When she steals from the wrong man, notorious crime boss Max Antonin, she finds herself caught in a deadly game of survival, murder investigations, and political conspiracies that threaten the foundations of their world.
The standout element for me was undoubtedly the magic system. Magic is intricately tied to bloodlines, relics, and hidden codes that determine who can access power. Those born into bloodlines can naturally wield magic, while the Cursed, individuals who have stolen magic and carry it in their blood, must feed from bloodline descendants to temporarily gain access to the "code" needed to control their abilities. The concept felt incredibly original and was further enhanced by the relics, magical artifacts infused with the essence discovered centuries ago by the Architect. Every layer of the system was thoughtfully developed, creating a world that felt both complex and immersive. The combination of scientific experimentation and magical theory was one of the most unique fantasy concepts I've read in a while.
While the worldbuilding and magic kept me completely invested, the romance didn't quite work as well for me. I wanted more depth from Max's perspective and found myself craving additional emotional tension, yearning, and banter between him and Nina. Since the romantic development takes quite a while to gain momentum, I needed a stronger emotional connection to fully buy into their relationship. The chemistry was there, but it never reached the level I was hoping for.
That said, I loved the darker steampunk atmosphere, the found family elements, the rivalries, and Max's deeply tortured character arc. If you're looking for a fantasy with intricate worldbuilding, morally gray characters, and a magic system that feels genuinely fresh, this is absolutely worth picking up. I'm definitely curious to see where the story goes in book two.
4 ⭐️
The Anatomy of Magic delivers a fascinating blend of gothic fantasy, science, and horror that immediately gave me Frankenstein-meets-vampires vibes. Set in the grim industrial city of Valveron, the story follows Nina, a surgeon's assistant hiding dangerous abilities that could get her executed if discovered. When she steals from the wrong man, notorious crime boss Max Antonin, she finds herself caught in a deadly game of survival, murder investigations, and political conspiracies that threaten the foundations of their world.
The standout element for me was undoubtedly the magic system. Magic is intricately tied to bloodlines, relics, and hidden codes that determine who can access power. Those born into bloodlines can naturally wield magic, while the Cursed, individuals who have stolen magic and carry it in their blood, must feed from bloodline descendants to temporarily gain access to the "code" needed to control their abilities. The concept felt incredibly original and was further enhanced by the relics, magical artifacts infused with the essence discovered centuries ago by the Architect. Every layer of the system was thoughtfully developed, creating a world that felt both complex and immersive. The combination of scientific experimentation and magical theory was one of the most unique fantasy concepts I've read in a while.
While the worldbuilding and magic kept me completely invested, the romance didn't quite work as well for me. I wanted more depth from Max's perspective and found myself craving additional emotional tension, yearning, and banter between him and Nina. Since the romantic development takes quite a while to gain momentum, I needed a stronger emotional connection to fully buy into their relationship. The chemistry was there, but it never reached the level I was hoping for.
That said, I loved the darker steampunk atmosphere, the found family elements, the rivalries, and Max's deeply tortured character arc. If you're looking for a fantasy with intricate worldbuilding, morally gray characters, and a magic system that feels genuinely fresh, this is absolutely worth picking up. I'm definitely curious to see where the story goes in book two.
May 15, 2026
This book had me giggling, crying, and absolutely screaming by the end 😭 What a ride.
The story is set in Valveron, which gave me steampunk fantasy vibes, a world where those born into magical bloodlines sit at the top of society, while everyone else struggles below. The magic system here was honestly one of my favorite parts because it felt so fresh and layered. Magic is tied to archetypes, almost like magical coding passed down through bloodlines. Then there are the Cursed, who carry stolen magic but don’t have the “codes” to properly control it, so their power comes at a cost. There are magical artifacts, forbidden magical experiments, secret histories… I was EATING this up.
Our FMC, Nina, is a surgeon trying to survive in the Fissures while caring for her sick mother (smuggling dead bodies on the side). She also happens to have forbidden magic, she can siphon power from others and wield it as her own.
Then there’s Max, silver-haired Cursed and the most powerful of them. Appealing in the exact same way a violent storm looks beautiful right before it destroys everything 😌 His past reminded me so much of Kaine Ferron and I was unwell.
Unlike other Cursed, Max doesn’t need blood to sustain his power, but he does need his relic dice, the source of his magic, which gets stolen. The dead thieves somehow end up on Nina’s operating table, Nina ends up with the dice planning to sell them, and that’s how Max crashes into her life. But when Nina gets framed for murder, Max becomes the one protecting her, and together they get pulled into something much bigger involving the bodies, the experiments, and secrets neither of them were meant to uncover.
I could NOT put this down.
Max’s backstory? Dark. Devastating. My heart was in pieces 😭 The romance might feel fast to some, but somehow Alexis still made the yearning hit?? I genuinely don’t know how because I felt every bit of it.
This book gives you no breathing room. Between the mystery of the dead bodies, unraveling the magic system, Max’s past, and THAT ENDING??
I need book 2 immediately because that ending was cruel 😭
The story is set in Valveron, which gave me steampunk fantasy vibes, a world where those born into magical bloodlines sit at the top of society, while everyone else struggles below. The magic system here was honestly one of my favorite parts because it felt so fresh and layered. Magic is tied to archetypes, almost like magical coding passed down through bloodlines. Then there are the Cursed, who carry stolen magic but don’t have the “codes” to properly control it, so their power comes at a cost. There are magical artifacts, forbidden magical experiments, secret histories… I was EATING this up.
Our FMC, Nina, is a surgeon trying to survive in the Fissures while caring for her sick mother (smuggling dead bodies on the side). She also happens to have forbidden magic, she can siphon power from others and wield it as her own.
Then there’s Max, silver-haired Cursed and the most powerful of them. Appealing in the exact same way a violent storm looks beautiful right before it destroys everything 😌 His past reminded me so much of Kaine Ferron and I was unwell.
Unlike other Cursed, Max doesn’t need blood to sustain his power, but he does need his relic dice, the source of his magic, which gets stolen. The dead thieves somehow end up on Nina’s operating table, Nina ends up with the dice planning to sell them, and that’s how Max crashes into her life. But when Nina gets framed for murder, Max becomes the one protecting her, and together they get pulled into something much bigger involving the bodies, the experiments, and secrets neither of them were meant to uncover.
I could NOT put this down.
Max’s backstory? Dark. Devastating. My heart was in pieces 😭 The romance might feel fast to some, but somehow Alexis still made the yearning hit?? I genuinely don’t know how because I felt every bit of it.
This book gives you no breathing room. Between the mystery of the dead bodies, unraveling the magic system, Max’s past, and THAT ENDING??
I need book 2 immediately because that ending was cruel 😭
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