Hey everyone!
By popular demand, I am so glad to be bringing to all my readers a recommendation list on of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers. I love this trope because this has so much potential and adds a lot of high stakes and tensions in the story.
This list is mainly fantasy oriented, but if you want more recs on contemporary, sci-fi or YA, do let me know in the comments!
I cannot say enough good things about these books, but since this is a very niche list, I'll focus on the couple on the say that these are an unmissable experience.
HERE WE GO
1) These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong-
If you haven't heard about this book yet, you must have been living under a rock. This books has been really popular on several bookish platforms, and I'm not ashamed to say it was partly the hype around it that made pick it up.
But the main reason was definitely because it was recommendation of my favorite BookTuber, Elliot Brooks. I have been reading so many of her rec lately, she practically dictates my fantasy TBR. Definitely check out her channel.
Not getting too off-topic, this book is absolutely brilliant. It's a Romeo-Juliette retelling, but it has so much more substance and depth besides the romance.
Its set in 1926 Shanghai, which is so unique in and of itself, but besides that as well, there's also so much going on. The blood feud between the two gangs has always been there, but now there is a strange contagious madness spreading in the city which makes people claw out their own throat. This forces our two main characters, Roma and Juliet to form a reluctant, fragile alliance as they put their grudges aside and try to save their city, all while they navigate through unspoken feelings, betrayals and high tensions.
2) Bone Crier's Moon by Kathryn Purdie- This book follows the story of this girl named
Ailesse, who has been preparing all her life to become a Bone Crier. Bone Crier's are these women who have the responsibility of passing on the souls of the dead to the realm of their Goddess, but to truly become a Bone Crier she has to fulfill a ritual that requires her to kill her soulmate.
And our other main character is Bastien,whose father was actually killed by a Bone Crier and now he wants revenge. Now you can very easily guess what happens here. Bastien and Ailesse hate each other, but when it's time for her to do the ritual, can you guess who she has to kill?
There is magic drawn from animal bones, kidnappings and chases in the jungle. It's fun, it's fast-paced and very entertaining. The banter between the characters is very cute, and even though it's a series, you can just breeze through it without feeling like you're being dragged anywhere.
3) Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin- Another extremely popular series that I'm sure many of you would have heard off already, so I won't go too much into detail with the synopsis. It follows two main perspective- Lou, a wild, free-spirited witch on the run from a haunted past ends up married (by very funny circumstances) to Reid Diggory, an honest but rigid Chausseur (witch-hunter). The catch? He doesn't know that Lou is a witch, and in a town where witches are the biggest enemy of humans and the Church rules the minds of the people, Lou has no place to hide but with Reid.
I really, really enjoyed this book, but the second book not so much. It seemed more like a filler book than anything else, but I am still very excited for the conclusion to the series that will be coming out in September 2021.
4) From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout-
This follows the story of this girl names Poppy, who has been chosen as the Maiden, which is sort of like a nun, but she is more of a sacrifice to God. She has had to hide her face behind a veil all her life. But then comes Hawke, her new personal guard, who shows her a glimpse of the freedom she could have, but is hiding more secrets than she can count.
It is a paranormal romance, but with a very refreshing take on vampires and werewolves, and has some very exciting reveals and betrayals in store for you.
A little heavier on the fantasy side as well, if you were wondering.
5) Cruel Prince by Holly Black-
Song REC- Horns by Bryce Fox
If you like this, then you'll like- Courts of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
This series is honestly angst to the 10th degree. I you don't know, I often recommend books that I personally didn't absolutely love because I know that books are subjective and sometimes it's just a matter of preference and not any problem with the book.
That is exactly the case for this trilogy, because even though I enjoyed many aspects of the book, like the political intrigue, the scheming and plotting and betrayals, I wasn't that into the romance. It's definitely worth a read though. Also, the way the series ended was a bit of a let-down for me. It just seemed too anti-climactic.
But regardless of that. I had a great time reading it. It was really fun and had lots of eye- candy you can feast on with the fan-art.
And before I forget, this series has some of the most amazing fan-fiction that could genuinely rival the author herself. So if you do read this series and end up enjoying it, I highly recommend checking out the fan-fiction, especially on the Archive of Our Own platform.
6) Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi-
Now Zelie has to leave on a quest with her brother and the runaway princess of the very kingdom that oppresses her, and maybe a tentative alliance (and maybe something more....) with the very Prince who has been sent out get rid of them .
It is an extremely fast-paced, action packed that is on fire from the very first page.
The tensions are soaring, the stakes are high and there is something to lose at every turn. Highly recommend picking this one up!
7) This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab- In a world where every human sin creates vicious monsters, Kate is a monster-hunter who wants to be just as ruthless as her father, and August is a monster who can steal people's soul with just a few notes of a song; and yet he longs to be human.
When these two are forced to flee from their homes, they form a dangerous alliance, setting aside their odds,
It is dark, terrifying, and so heart-wrenching. It's grim, The story is violent, addictive, gritty, and one of the most heartbreaking ones I've ever read. It's also deep and thought-provoking and makes you question a lot of your perceptions about the world, which, if a book can do that, is truly amazing. It's also highly under-rated. Please, please go and read it.
Time to Chat!
So that was it for today. I really hope you enjoyed reading this post. Let me know some of your picks from this list. Have you read any of these? Do you plan to? Are there any other good ones I have missed?
Until nest time,
I hope everyone stays safe,
Bye!