? Tropes High-Stakes Political Intrigue Twists on Twists (The Ultimate Mind Games) Top-Tier Villain / Vicious Dictator Emotional Devastation & High Angst❤️ What I Liked The Entire Cast: I don’t even know where to start. By the final page, I realised I loved absolutely every single character—the depth is unmatched. The Villain: Even the villain stole the show. He was written with absolute perfection as a vicious, calculating dictator. The Plotting: The sheer brilliant chaos of this book! The twists on top of twists, the double-crossing, and the meticulous plans kept me reeling. The Scale: The author delivers absolute devastation and destruction, and it makes the entire story feel incredibly epic and high-stakes.ARC from Net Galley

Daggermouth is one of those books that completely takes over your life while you’re reading it. Set in New Found Haven, a city divided into rings of privilege and poverty, this is a brutal world ruled by the masked elite where obedience is demanded, rebellion is crushed, and love outside your ring is a death sentence. The world-building is fantastic. The divide between the Heart, the Cardinal and the Boundary is stark, and every part of society is built to remind people exactly where they belong. Or where they don’t. One of the things that stood out most to me was the treatment of women within the Heart. Women are expected to be obedient, silent and decorative. They walk behind the men, never beside them. They are treated as possessions rather than people. The misogyny woven throughout the society is infuriating, and H.M. Wolfe does an incredible job of making you feel that anger. The characters completely stole the show. Greyson Serel is caught between the expectations placed upon him as the President’s son and his own conscience, while Shadera Kael is a deadly mercenary driven by revenge. The tension between them is brilliant, but what I loved most was the banter. Even when they can’t stand each other, their constant jibes and arguments had me grinning more than once. I also loved the relationship between Greyson and his sister, Lira. In a world filled with manipulation, cruelty and betrayal, their loyalty to one another felt genuine and was one of my favourite dynamics in the entire book. And then there’s Callum. Powerful, dangerous, fiercely loyal and completely impossible not to love. Every time he appeared on the page I wanted more of him. As for Maximus Serel? Every appearance left me feeling angry. He’s cruel, controlling, power-hungry and utterly convinced of his own righteousness. The pacing is excellent throughout, but the final quarter of this book is absolutely wild. Around the 80% mark the twists start coming thick and fast. I had my suspicions about one reveal, but others genuinely left me staring at the page in disbelief. And that ending… Wow. Betrayal. Loyalty. Truths. Lies. Shock. Heartbreak. I finished the final chapter, exhaled a breath I didn’t realise I was holding, and just sat there trying to process everything that had happened. If you enjoy dystopian fantasy, political intrigue, morally grey characters, enemies-to-lovers tension, forced political marriage, shocking twists and a world that will make your blood boil, Daggermouth absolutely deserves the hype. Roll on book two.

I was rather late to reading this book, but I can finally confirm that the hype around it can be trusted! What a highly addictive read - I couldn't stop turning the pages. Daggermouth was my first dystopian dark romance book, and now I need more. Every character was morally grey at best, sometimes dipping into black even. My favourite parts? The all-consuming feminine rage and the social commentary! Oh and of course the romantic plotlines! The dynamic between Shadera and Greyson was so delicious. I loved witnessing the way they learned more about each other and began respecting each other, despite their initial distrust. While they are true enemies to lovers, I wouldn't call it a slow burn, since their attraction develops in a matter of days. They are not the only POV characters, and trust me, you will come to appreciate both Callum and Lira and their own set of challenges. And I know there are some who prefer Jameson over Greyson, but I'm not one of them, even though I usually love a man who pines. I talked a lot about the romance, but there are so many other layers to this story. The final chapters left me quite literally speechless, so I need the sequel in my hands STAT!! Thank you to Tor Bramble, NetGalley and the author for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.