*I was sent an ARC of The Enemy’s Daughter in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to HarperCollins and Melissa Poett for my copy of the book*

Synopsis: 

A stunning reimagining of Tristan and Isolde set in a dystopian world woven with magic. An addictive debut YA enemies-to-lovers romantasy—perfect for fans of Rebecca Ross and Sarah Underwood as well as books like Curious Tides, The Hurricane Wars, and Belladonna.

It’s been thirty-seven years since the Republic was destroyed. Now two settlements—the five clans and the Kingsland—fight for control of the untainted land. Though the five clans are outnumbered, they’ve finally struck, killing Kingsland’s brutal leader.

In the war that follows, Isadora, an eighteen-year-old healer, risks her life to help injured soldiers. But when she stops an attack from Tristan, a Kingsland assassin, his soldiers shoot her with a poisoned arrow. As Isadora lies dying, Tristan does the unimaginable: He offers to save her life using a rare magic.

In choosing to live, Isadora is unknowingly bound to the mysterious Tristan. Worse, even acknowledging the attraction between them allows him to glean fragments of her memories and the very knowledge he needs to destroy the five clans. But their magical connection works both ways. So to save her people, Isadora will have to open her heart to her most cunning enemy. Because in a race for ultimate survival, she’ll need to destroy Tristan and his people first.

Review:

I honestly can’t even describe just how much I loved The Enemy’s Daughter. At first I was worried I wasn’t going to get on with this book as it seemed like every time I sat down to read I wasn’t getting very far. However, once I really dedicated some time to it, I flew through this book.

I’m aware that this is a retelling of Tristan and Isolde but I actually don’t know anything about the original story so I don’t know how faithful The Enemy’s Daughter is. But it’s one hell of a ride let me tell you. 

I don’t want to spoil too much, especially as this book hasn’t been published yet, but the way in which you view this world and its inhabitants is constantly challenged by new information is honestly a little unsettling. I didn’t believe the truth for a while as everything you think you know isn’t the whole story. Isadora’s whole world changes in a matter of days but I won’t give away if that’s for the better or not. There’s literally an entire new world out there that she has no idea about because women aren’t respected in the clans. 

I’d love to comment on how ridiculous Isadora’s dad’s reasons are for why he acts the way he does, but it’s a huge spoiler. I’ve never felt so angry towards a book character before.

To begin with I wasn’t wholly sold on the romance side of The Enemy’s Daughter as it didn’t make sense to me. Why would Tristan risk his life to save Isadora, they’re sworn enemies. However, I’m a sucker for ‘he falls first and harder’ so I didn’t want to question it too much. Plus the rare magic that connects them is really cool. The idea of being able to take half of your partner’s pain and also send memories to each other is beautiful. This connection was explored and developed really well throughout the book. I love how Isadora and Tristan used it to communicate, and drive each other mad with both anger and desire.

My high rating for this book wasn’t decided until the very end. I was torn between giving it a 4.5 or a 5, but decided that the happiness I felt from it meant it deserved 5 stars. Plus I’d been in such a slump when I started it and I feel like it cured that. 

The Enemy’s Daughter is a wonderfully romantic and epic romantasy. I loved both main characters and thought even though their relationship progressed quickly over only a matter of weeks, the development, due to the connection, felt believable. By the end of the book I wanted nothing but happiness for them both. I did think it was leading to a cliffhanger and the potential for a second book. The ending was satisfying though.

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