by 
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through links on this site. Your purchases help fund my content and come at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
It was only after I actually finished reading this book that I realized I have never properly written a review of a fantasy book on the blog even though I read a lot of them.
I don’t know, it just always skips my mind. I feel like whenever I read fantasy books, it’s when I’m not really in the mood to review, so they end up being, you know, for enjoyment purposes only and not to share my thoughts. But I’m definitely going to fix that.
Anyway, I was looking through the catalog of 2025 romantic fantasy book releases that I recently got my hands on, and this cover absolutely blew me away. I knew I had to read it.
Nothing pulls me in more than a gorgeous, gorgeous cover. And I don’t know why, but while I tend to roll my eyes at animated covers for other romance genres like historical or contemporary, animated fantasy covers? They always get me.
Want to Read or Listen to Books for Free?
- Try Kindle Unlimited FREE for 30 Days! Read tons of bestselling books from your favorite authors without spending a thing. So many great stories just waiting for you!
- Listen to Audiobooks FREE on Audible for 30 Days! Enjoy the best audiobooks by top authors all for free for a whole month. No strings attached!
- Watch Movies FREE on Amazon Prime Video for 30 Days! Also love movies? You can stream some of the most popular and all-time favorite films totally free for 30 days.
I love them so much and they’re literally my weakness. Of course, I had to jump in and read this book immediately.
So that I don’t ramble on without telling you the actual plot – here it is: Our female lead, Alice, is an orphan who’s been taken care of by her wicked aunt ever since her parents died. But her aunt betrays her in exchange for money and abandons her in the woods for whatever creature of the Yeavering comes to get her.
Grab Your Copy on Amazon
It’s a very peculiar setup because apparently, the faeries saved humans a long time ago, and to thank them, the humans regularly offer human sacrifices. That’s basically the gist of it, but you need to read the book to really understand the politics behind all that.
So she’s essentially forced to be a sacrifice. While she’s there, she meets our male lead, Fenrother, who swoops in, takes her to his palace, and tells her that she is his mate.
She’s suspicious about this at first (as anyone would be), but soon enough they settle into domestic bliss. And it’s during all of this that the primary conflict brews – his impending death and the bonkers Queen of the Fae – and that’s what truly challenges them and makes them work hard for their happily ever after.
Our male lead, Fenrother, in this book is actually very innocent. I really wasn’t expecting that.
You know how when you think of these mythical creatures, you expect them to be a little lusty and at least experienced in those matters?
But here, it’s the female lead who teaches him everything because he’s been learning from some very old books that weren’t exactly clear on the details. So she teaches him, and of course, he becomes an expert in like 0.5 seconds. Naturally. And soon enough they start to truly understand each other.
If you’ve read my other reviews on the blog, you know my least favorite thing in a book is when the villain feels too cartoonish. Sadly, that’s what we get here.
In fact, the conflict that arises later on felt like it was just thrown in for the sake of drama. I feel like if a big secret is going to be revealed – that is, one big enough to shake the foundation of a relationship – there should have been hints along the way.
Grab Your Copy on Amazon
Maybe through inner thoughts or tiny moments. Especially since we get POVs from both characters. But this surprise just appeared out of nowhere. I wasn’t a fan. It felt too convenient, like it was done just to drag the story out, and from that point on, I wasn’t very happy with the direction it took.
And of course, staying true to most fantasy romance novels, the faeries here are mischievous, wicked, and completely unmanageable. In this book, they dominate other creatures, enslave them, and do all sorts of horrible things they shouldn’t.
I found that really interesting because when an ordinary person who hasn’t read much about faeries thinks of them, it’s always cute, beautiful, magical creatures. But here? Nope. They’re vile. Their perfume is cloying and everything about them screams trouble.
Now let’s talk about Fenrother again for a second, because I loved him. He’s so silly and eager to learn. Eager to please. Such a sweet gentleman, even when he had no idea what he was doing. He was like a lovely little puppy or wyrm.
I genuinely enjoyed watching him stumble through his own dilemmas and struggles, even though, to be honest, they weren’t that significant compared to the unnecessary twist that happens later on.
Grab Your Copy on Amazon
You don’t even understand how hard I’m holding back right now because I really want to spoil it for you, but I won’t. You have to read it to get what I mean.
I understand why the author did it – probably to give them the first half to fall in love and then throw in struggles during the third act – but even so, the execution just didn’t feel believable to me.
And despite all this, I enjoyed the story so much that I literally ran to download the bonus story from the author and read that too. Loved it, of course. And I would absolutely recommend these books to anyone looking for a fresh fantasy romance to sink their teeth into soon.
I feel like Ice Planet Barbarians has set me on a path I’m never turning back from and I have zero regrets.
Also, don’t roll your eyes at me if you read the other posts where I promised to review Ice Planet Barbarians. I think I’m at book 13 now? The thought of sitting down to write reviews for every single one is exhausting. I probably need a whole week for that alone.
This book was a really lovely read. But you know that moment when you finish and suddenly think about the title? Yeah, I feel like the title promised something a little different.
I expected a slow burn (you all know I’m not a fan of slow burns), maybe some angst, some pining, and, as the title suggests, some longing. But we didn’t really get that.
These two got together so fast, my head spun. She literally forgot everything that ever happened to her – planet, past, evil aunt – even though I was hoping the aunt would get her much-needed comeuppance. But we don’t see that.
Anyway, make sure you check this book out if you want a new fantasy romance that just came out in 2025 – possibly even this month if I’m not mistaken. It’s so good. You’re going to love every bit of it.
Let me know if you’ve read this one or if you’ve read any other new books you think we’d all enjoy. Drop them in the comment section below!
Grab Your Copy on Amazon
