The Reader by Hope E. Davis

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Reader #1

Release Date: January 15, 2026

Born in a world where there is a one-child rule, Runa is a forbidden twin, she’s been forced to live a double life, hiding her true identity to survive in a society that would rather erase her existence. The story begins in a dramatic fashion when she must take her brother’s place on the front lines of an impending conflict. As she’s thrust from a life of secrecy into the chaos of war, slowly her world begins to unravel. Runa is introduced as intelligent, strong, and uniquely gifted, but throughout the book, she doesn’t quite live up to that persona. Repeatedly, she allows others to make decisions for her, even after she begins to display serious magical abilities, making it hard to take her seriously.

While this book is a fresh perspective in the romantasy genre and I did enjoy the magic system and morally gray characters, I am not a fan of first person single POV, love triangles or cliffhangers, so this book was a miss for me. However, if you don’t mind FPN, love triangles, morally gray characters and a spectacular cliffhanger ending – this book might be something you might want to check out.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *