Title: The Sweetest FiendAuthor: Raven Kennedy
Series: Played by the Piper #1
Pages: 480
Publication Date: Sept. 22, 2026
Publisher: AVON BOOKS
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy
Synopsis:
It’s time to pay the Piper.
Our world cracked open like an egg. Power burst out, and with it, nine monstrous Banes ready to destroy everything. The powerful Core fae finally slayed them all, but each Bane left a Plague to punish us.
But that’s not the only thing they left behind.
I’m half Bane, half fae, and wholly hated. Survival means enduring every vicious glare and cursed outbreak. Until one day, a Plague descends upon my city that means certain death.
Then he comes. The Pied Piper.
He rids my city of the Plague, but it comes at a cost. One hundred and thirty people are taken as payment. Including me.
I don’t know what he’s going to do to us, but I know I have to get home. My family’s lives depend on it. But the Piper won’t let me go, and something wicked stirs between us. The sweet scent in my veins beckons him, while the seductive lure of his magic sinks under my skin.
I have to escape before it’s too late. Because if I don’t, it’s not just my heart at risk…
But the entire world.
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This was such a fantastic read and a brilliant start to Raven Kennedy’s new duology. I would never put the story of the Pied Piper and a romantasy together, but I never imagined a Midas romantasy either, and the Plated Prisoner series is one of my all-time faves, so, I never should have doubted that this would be anything less than swoon-tastic. lol
The story takes place in a bleak, brutal, and plague-ridden world that I would definitely not want to live in. The world has been completely ravaged by all different plagues, each more horrifying than the one before it. But there is so much more to this world than the plagues themselves. There is history, magic, political division, and social injustice woven throughout the story, and the more I learned about this world, the more I wanted to know. There is this constant feeling that something is deeply wrong, not just the things you can see, but beneath the surface, and I loved slowly uncovering just how complicated everything really is.
Esti is an outsider in her world because she’s half Bane and half fae, which makes her a fiend, and people definitely let her know that she isn’t accepted. She’s smart and strong, a survivor who loves her family. She’s also stubborn, sarcastic, and impulsive, and she’s not someone who is going to quietly accept whatever life hands her. Everything she does comes back to the people she loves and her determination to survive, and she really goes through some stuff over the course of the story. I was really invested in her and her journey, and I loved watching her start to question the things she thought she knew about her world.
And Piper. Well, I have a lot of thoughts about Piper. He is so much more than he appears, and I loved the mystery surrounding him. I don’t know how she did it, but somehow Raven Kennedy managed to make a guy who plays a recorder and commands rats incredibly appealing. There are so many little things about him that made me want to know more, and I loved watching those layers slowly start to reveal themselves. I also really enjoyed the contrast between him and Esti because they’re very different and have has entirely different experiences. Plus, neither one of them is particularly willing to back down.
The romance is slow-building with major enemies to lovers vibes, impeccable banter, and off the charts chemistry. There is so much tension between Esti and Piper, and I loved every second of it. They are both so stubborn and determined, and neither of them is willing to make things easy for the other. I loved watching that relationship evolve as they learned more about each other and started seeing past their first impressions. Of course the fact they they are captor and captive don’t exactly help matters. These two have a lot of obstacles in their way, which makes me root for them even more. There were so many moments and conversations that had me grinning at the page, and their relationship, as well as some of the other friendships and partnerships, was one of my favorite parts of the novel.
I also really loved how much the romance ties into the larger story. There are so many secrets and little breadcrumbs throughout the story, and I spent a lot of time wondering what was actually going on and who could be trusted. I definitely had theories, but knowing this author, the story will go in an entirely different, and brilliant, direction.
And the ending? My jaw hit the floor, I may have cried, and now I’m desperate to find out what happens next. Overall, this was gripping and emotional, and I didn’t want the story to end. Raven Kennedy has a way of pulling the reader in, putting them in a chokehold, and not letting go even after you’ve finished her book. And I’m not complaining! lol
- forced proximity
- captive-captor
- enemies to lovers
- only one tent/horse/bed
- Pied Piper reimagining
- slow burn
“The only ones who let go of us are not worth holding on to.”
“People lie in their silence all the time. It’s just harder to hear.”
RAVEN KENNEDY is an international bestseller, whose love for books pushed her into creating her own worlds. The Plated Prisoner Series, a dark fantasy romance, has sold in over twenty countries. It became a New York Times, USA Today, Sunday Times, and Spiegel bestseller, hit #1 in the Amazon store, and has sold over six million copies worldwide.
Her newest book, The Sweetest Fiend, is the first of a duology and will be released in September 2026. You can connect with Raven on her social media, and visit her website for more info.
