Title: Witch of the WolvesAuthor: Kaylee Archer
Series: Witch of the Wolves #1
Pages: 352
Publication Date: Sept. 30, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genres: Fiction / Dark Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy
Synopsis:
Cordelia Levine comes from a long line of powerful witches. She’s been flying under the radar in the human world, focused on strengthening her magic. She loves working at her aunt’s apothecary in London, secretly serving supernaturals.
Until the truth about her family is revealed.
She always assumed her enhanced sense of smell came from her French perfumer father. But when Bishop Daniels abducts Cordelia at the request of her father, the Alpha, Cordelia learns she’s a lycan–sharing both witch and werewolf traits. She’s brought to Trevelyan, the pack estate, under the guise of protection from foreign threats who want to use her to continue their bloodline.
She quickly learns that to keep her from being sold off to another pack, her father intends to give Cordelia as a mate to Bishop. His second in command and the future Alpha.
Cordelia refuses to accept this as her fate. She can’t rely on her magic alone to escape and when she learns Bishop plans to challenge her father’s power, she reluctantly begins to trust him. The cracks within the Pack become evident and something is bound to break. And Cordelia and her growing desire for the man who shouldn’t set her on fire are right at the center of it all.
Witch of the Wolves is the first book in this Victorian romantasy series, featuring an intense and sexy romance and a world on the brink of change.
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MY THOUGHTS ON WITCH OF THE WOLVES:
I have mixed feelings about this read. I liked the premise and the writing style. The author writes immersive stories and characters with fully defined personalities. However, the plot and main themes fell flat for me.
The story pulled me in quickly, and I was so intrigued by the time period with a supernatural twist. I was also interested in the protagonist, her aunt, and the mysterious man (future love interest) who seemed to be following her. However, as the story progressed, I found some of Cordelia’s actions and feelings contradicted her personality. I thought Bishop was a more compelling character and wish we had more of his story and perspective. He was dark and mysterious and torn between duty, promises, honor, and his feelings.
The love story between Bishop and Cordelia went from enemies to in love too quickly, considering all the betrayal, scheming, lies, and more that stood between the couple, but I still enjoyed it. The pair has a ton of chemistry, and I love how Cordelia breaks through Bishop’s tough and formidable exterior.
The plot was interesting, and I loved that there were a few shocking twists. Two were completely unexpected, and I definitely experienced some jaw-dropping moments. That being said, there were a couple of subplots that felt disjointed from the rest of the story, and I questioned their purpose and relevance. There is also a lot of commentary on gender inequity, women’s rights, and gender roles in families and society. Generally, I like this, but it gets a little preachy at times, and the patriarchal oppression is very in-your-face with a bit too much telling and not as much showing.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read with a unique premise and interesting characters. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
…including her heart.
MY THOUGHTS ON METAL SLINGER:
The premise of this story was so interesting, and I enjoyed the majority of it. The author is a great storyteller, and it was so easy to become engrossed in the read and invested in the protagonist’s journey. It was heartbreaking and suspenseful and full of danger, betrayal, and morally grey characters. I also liked the worldbuilding and magical elements. It was fascinating to see characters wield different elemental magic and how different kingdoms treated magical and nonmagical people. The story had a lot of political intrigue and threats of war, which added to the tension and suspense, and I like that the story went in unexpected directions.
I was actually really enjoying this book until I neared the end, and then it was a total letdown for me. The twist made no sense, and it felt way too unbelievable when you look at the actions, relationships, and conversations leading up to it. Considering we get the story from Brynn’s perspective and get her inner monologue, there should be some hints about her true feelings and plans. It made me kind of mad, and not in a “This is amazing. I’m shocked,” kind of way. It was more like a, “Ugh! This is so unbelievable and doesn’t track with anything these characters have said and done.” And then Acker’s reaction to and actions following a betrayal went too far. I get his anger and devastation, but there are lines I don’t like crossed in my romance, and this one crossed one.
Overall, I think dark romantasy readers will enjoy this one, especially if they like twisty, angsty stories. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Metal Slinger s one that I see on booktok a lot and have been curious about it. Great reviews!