Lucas Stoffel

"Throne of Glass" Book Review: Throne of Glass is Sarah J. Maas's original series, eight books long, spanning about a decade of her writing career. It predates ACOTAR. It is also, in my opinion, the better series. If ACOTAR is where Maas figured out the romantasy formula that would break publishing, Throne of Glass is where she figured out that she could actually write epic fantasy. The Hulu TV adaptation currently in development is going to introduce a generation of readers

Iron Flame Book Review: The thing about Iron Flame is that it takes everything Fourth Wing built and sets it on fire. Not gently. Not metaphorically. Rebecca Yarros wrote a sequel that expands the world, raises the stakes, and then detonates the ending in a way that left me staring at the wall for a solid ten minutes.

Onyx Storm Book Review: Let me be upfront: Onyx Storm sold 2.7 million copies in its first week, which means you probably already have an opinion about this series. If you loved Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, you're reading this regardless of what I say. If you think romantasy is not for you, this book won't change your mind. And if you're on the fence, here's my honest take...

Fourth Wing Book Review: I will admit that I was skeptical. A military fantasy academy with dragon riders and an enemies-to-lovers romance? I figured I knew exactly what I was getting. I was wrong. Rebecca Yarros wrote something that is far more addictive, far more violent, and far more emotionally intelligent than the premise suggests.

Let me get something out of the way: A Court of Thorns and Roses is a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in a faerie realm, and if that sentence makes you roll your eyes, this book is not for you. If that sentence makes you lean forward, buckle up. Sarah J. Maas wrote the book that essentially invented modern romantasy as a cultural force, and whether you love it or resist it, you have to reckon with it.

If you've seen anyone screaming about Jacks the Prince of Hearts on BookTok or bookish Twitter, this is where the damage starts. Once Upon a Broken Heart is the first book in Stephanie Garber's series that leads to The Ballad of Never After and A Curse for True Love, and it's the doorway into one of the most addictive romantasy ships in recent memory. Evangeline Fox is desperate. The love of her life is about to marry someone else, and in her desperation she does the one t

Book two of the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, and the tension between Evangeline Fox and Jacks the Prince of Hearts just keeps building until you want to physically shake the book and scream at both of them. Evangeline is trying to break a curse — one of several that keep stacking up in this series like the worst kind of fairy-tale compound interest — while Jacks is doing that infuriating thing where an immortal Fate who has murdered people with a kiss tries very hard to p

Let me tell you something about Stephanie Garber: she understands that the best fairy tales are the ones where love might actually kill you. Not metaphorically. Not in a "love hurts" pop song kind of way. In a "the person you're falling for might literally be cursed to destroy you" kind of way. A Curse for True Love is the finale of the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy, and it delivers on that promise with theatrical flair. If you haven't read the first two books, stop here