It’s such a joy to read a book I want to rave about—although I’m conscious of the ways Throne in the Dark is my catnip and may not be for everyone: it has a grumpy/sunshine romance between a half-demon and a human who are forced to travel together, and a glacially slow-burn romance. And note, it’s book 1 of 3 and ends with some resolution but many loose ends. I could not put it down; I found myself sneaking away from my office to read a chapter in the middle of the day, and resenting anyone I had plans with because I wanted to stay home and read.

Many things about the story could be problematic but were handled well enough not to be. For example, the heroine, Amma, is magically bound to the hero, Damien, so that he can order her around; but the binding is Amma’s fault and happened by accident, and Damien never does anything too awful with it. He is a bit of a jerk but it’s fulfilling to watch him change over the course of the story. He’s not a static “evil yet attractive” character or an “evil” character who actually never does anything bad. Part of the reason the romance progresses so slowly is because Damien is aware of his power over Amma and doesn’t want to take advantage of it.

The plot seems like it meanders but I don’t think it does. The story just holds many secrets a good long time, which was another hook for me. And I kept thinking, I don’t care that they’re now going on a side trip to the marshes, I’m just glad to spend more time with these two.

The author lists many content warnings on her website, many of which I would normally avoid… but nothing about this book upset me. It’s light-hearted throughout and even though some situations could be uncomfortable, the reader has enough to hold onto (like knowing the hero has magic he can use if needed) that you never have to worry about things not being okay. Some lines made me laugh out loud, and the magic and world-building made sense. ( )