Showing posts with label S.A. MacLean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label S.A. MacLean. Show all posts
FORMAT/INFO: Sunsplitter will be published by Orbit Books on August 4th, 2026. It is 608 pages long and available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Sunsplitter is the spicy action-packed follow-up to Voidwalker and it manages to deftly balance romance, action, and character in one fantastic finale. What I especially appreciated about this sequel was that it managed to find conflict between the couple of Fi and Antal (human and monstrous daeyari respectively) that felt natural and earned and not forced to create drama. Antal may have found the love of his life in Fi, but he's grappling with the fact that he has been isolated from his own people for decades, and he may have to continue that isolation to protect the human-friendly community he and Fi are building. There's a real exploration of how being cut off from your own culture is a devastating loss of connection - even if you have mixed feelings about the individual people in that culture. Fi in return struggles to figure out if she's "enough" for Antal - if she can fill the void that lost connection creates.
This conflict felt like a natural rough patch in a relationship, especially one where family members don't approve of the match. And eventually, they do call each other out and work through their issues, becoming even stronger for it. If I had one area where I had a complaint, it's that I wish Antal had had a little more initiative towards the end of the book, instead of letting old patterns continue to rule.
Aside from the romance, there's an engaging action-packed plot with a splash of politics as a dangerous foe threatens not just Antal's territory, but daeyari rule everywhere. I was fully invested in this new enemy, though I could have stood to learn a little more about them than we did. Either way, this new threat gives us the excuse to peek behind the curtain at the council that rules how daeyari live and govern on their home turf, and I welcomed the addition of new characters from Antal's past. They provide their own complications as Antal tries to figure out who - if any - of his former friends and relatives he can trust.
I'll also just give a quick mention to the fact that this is a spicier book than Voidwalker. While there was definitely spice in the first book, the author here leans full-tilt into the "monster smut" aspect of the book. There is plenty of non-spice plot in here too, but if those kinds of scenes aren't your cup of tea, you might be better off with another book.
Sunsplitter was a fantastic sequel to a book I really enjoyed. Voidwalker was one of my favorite reads of 2025 and I have a feeling Sunsplitter is going to end the year with the same glowing honor.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Sunsplitter is the spicy action-packed follow-up to Voidwalker and it manages to deftly balance romance, action, and character in one fantastic finale. What I especially appreciated about this sequel was that it managed to find conflict between the couple of Fi and Antal (human and monstrous daeyari respectively) that felt natural and earned and not forced to create drama. Antal may have found the love of his life in Fi, but he's grappling with the fact that he has been isolated from his own people for decades, and he may have to continue that isolation to protect the human-friendly community he and Fi are building. There's a real exploration of how being cut off from your own culture is a devastating loss of connection - even if you have mixed feelings about the individual people in that culture. Fi in return struggles to figure out if she's "enough" for Antal - if she can fill the void that lost connection creates.
This conflict felt like a natural rough patch in a relationship, especially one where family members don't approve of the match. And eventually, they do call each other out and work through their issues, becoming even stronger for it. If I had one area where I had a complaint, it's that I wish Antal had had a little more initiative towards the end of the book, instead of letting old patterns continue to rule.
Aside from the romance, there's an engaging action-packed plot with a splash of politics as a dangerous foe threatens not just Antal's territory, but daeyari rule everywhere. I was fully invested in this new enemy, though I could have stood to learn a little more about them than we did. Either way, this new threat gives us the excuse to peek behind the curtain at the council that rules how daeyari live and govern on their home turf, and I welcomed the addition of new characters from Antal's past. They provide their own complications as Antal tries to figure out who - if any - of his former friends and relatives he can trust.
I'll also just give a quick mention to the fact that this is a spicier book than Voidwalker. While there was definitely spice in the first book, the author here leans full-tilt into the "monster smut" aspect of the book. There is plenty of non-spice plot in here too, but if those kinds of scenes aren't your cup of tea, you might be better off with another book.
Sunsplitter was a fantastic sequel to a book I really enjoyed. Voidwalker was one of my favorite reads of 2025 and I have a feeling Sunsplitter is going to end the year with the same glowing honor.
3:00 AM | 
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Caitlin G. |
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Purchase Voidwalker
FORMAT/INFO: Voidwalker was published on August 19th, 2025 by Orbit Books. It is 592 pages long and available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback..
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Fionamara is a smuggler of exceptional skill. A childhood accident gifted her the ability to see Curtains, the thin places between planes where a person can cross between worlds. Fi uses her gift to smuggle contraband between the four Season-Locked planes, gifting the proceeds to her village so that they don't ever need to call for aid from their rulers. For the humans of all planes are ruled by the daeyeri, immortal beings whose bargains almost always require a human sacrifice. But when Fi is unwittingly made part of a coup against her territory's ruler, her village is put in the crosshairs. To save her people, she strikes a bargain with ousted ruler Antal to get his throne back - a dangerous alliance that could cost her everything.
Voidwalker successfully threads the needle between dangerous and sexy, a thrilling adventure mixed with romance that had me thoroughly invested from start to finish. And while this promises to be the first in a "new fantasy universe," I'm happy to report this is a standalone installment, without a cliffhanger in sight.
From its opening pages, Voidwalker makes one thing abundantly clear: in this universe, humans are prey. The ruling daeyeri are strong, ruthless, immortal, and have a craving for human flesh. Only a pact keeps the daeyeri's appetites in check, with villages promising to routinely send people as sacrifices in return for their rulers not hunting them for sport. Antal, the ruler of Fi's territory, is unusual in that he doesn't require routine sacrifices - unless the humans ask for help. If they need daeyeri technology fixed or any other kind of aid, a sacrifice must be made.
So when Fi is forced to team up with Antal, there's a real sense of danger. This creature has eaten people before and would have done so more frequently if Fi's smuggling hadn't helped sustain her village from needing to ask for a boon. But faced with a new daeyeri ruler who is going to be much more strict about demanding sacrifices, Fi decides to support the lesser of two evils.
But just because Fi is prey in this world doesn't mean she's helpless. Fi is bold and stubborn and demands to be taken seriously. She will put herself toe-to-toe with her enemy out of sheer spite, the kind of person who insists on going down fighting - though she usually tries to have a trick up her sleeve to ensure she's always got a way out.
So when Fi and Antal eventually start to have chemistry, it's fueled by the spark of verbal sparring and the feeling of two equals clashing, even if their strengths lie in different places. Fi may be physically at a disadvantage, but she's got the willpower to push back at Antal's demands, to negotiate for her own terms. And that tenacity and force of will is what appeals to Antal, the satisfaction of finding someone who will stand her ground against him.
While this is a spicy romantasy, it's a slow burn to get there. At nearly 600 pages, Voidwalker takes its time building up the chemistry between the two characters. This is a plot-forward fantasy romance, and there's plenty of adventure to be had, all while our two leads start to bond. There's also plenty of character development, especially with Fi as she wrestles with past traumas that she's never reconciled with.
I do have one small but notable complaint: the sheer number of times the author utilizes a hare/rabbit metaphor to evoke a feeling of being prey. Early on, it's an effective comparison. By the end of the story, it is incredibly overused. Perhaps this will be reduced by the publication of the final version, but in the ARC copy I had, it drove me a bit crazy.
CONCLUSION: Author S.A. MacLean is two for two in writing fantasy romances I have absolutely adored. While The Phoenix Keeper was a cozy, slow-burn, no-spice affair, Voidwalker is an action-packed sexy delight. I absolutely loved the feistiness of Fi and the way she pitted herself against Antal. I love that Antal comes to trust her as an equal and fully respects her own strengths. And I loved this strange universe of different planes all connected by the Void, a universe of endless places to explore. If there's more stories to be had in this world, I will be the first to sign up.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Fionamara is a smuggler of exceptional skill. A childhood accident gifted her the ability to see Curtains, the thin places between planes where a person can cross between worlds. Fi uses her gift to smuggle contraband between the four Season-Locked planes, gifting the proceeds to her village so that they don't ever need to call for aid from their rulers. For the humans of all planes are ruled by the daeyeri, immortal beings whose bargains almost always require a human sacrifice. But when Fi is unwittingly made part of a coup against her territory's ruler, her village is put in the crosshairs. To save her people, she strikes a bargain with ousted ruler Antal to get his throne back - a dangerous alliance that could cost her everything.
Voidwalker successfully threads the needle between dangerous and sexy, a thrilling adventure mixed with romance that had me thoroughly invested from start to finish. And while this promises to be the first in a "new fantasy universe," I'm happy to report this is a standalone installment, without a cliffhanger in sight.
From its opening pages, Voidwalker makes one thing abundantly clear: in this universe, humans are prey. The ruling daeyeri are strong, ruthless, immortal, and have a craving for human flesh. Only a pact keeps the daeyeri's appetites in check, with villages promising to routinely send people as sacrifices in return for their rulers not hunting them for sport. Antal, the ruler of Fi's territory, is unusual in that he doesn't require routine sacrifices - unless the humans ask for help. If they need daeyeri technology fixed or any other kind of aid, a sacrifice must be made.
So when Fi is forced to team up with Antal, there's a real sense of danger. This creature has eaten people before and would have done so more frequently if Fi's smuggling hadn't helped sustain her village from needing to ask for a boon. But faced with a new daeyeri ruler who is going to be much more strict about demanding sacrifices, Fi decides to support the lesser of two evils.
But just because Fi is prey in this world doesn't mean she's helpless. Fi is bold and stubborn and demands to be taken seriously. She will put herself toe-to-toe with her enemy out of sheer spite, the kind of person who insists on going down fighting - though she usually tries to have a trick up her sleeve to ensure she's always got a way out.
So when Fi and Antal eventually start to have chemistry, it's fueled by the spark of verbal sparring and the feeling of two equals clashing, even if their strengths lie in different places. Fi may be physically at a disadvantage, but she's got the willpower to push back at Antal's demands, to negotiate for her own terms. And that tenacity and force of will is what appeals to Antal, the satisfaction of finding someone who will stand her ground against him.
While this is a spicy romantasy, it's a slow burn to get there. At nearly 600 pages, Voidwalker takes its time building up the chemistry between the two characters. This is a plot-forward fantasy romance, and there's plenty of adventure to be had, all while our two leads start to bond. There's also plenty of character development, especially with Fi as she wrestles with past traumas that she's never reconciled with.
I do have one small but notable complaint: the sheer number of times the author utilizes a hare/rabbit metaphor to evoke a feeling of being prey. Early on, it's an effective comparison. By the end of the story, it is incredibly overused. Perhaps this will be reduced by the publication of the final version, but in the ARC copy I had, it drove me a bit crazy.
CONCLUSION: Author S.A. MacLean is two for two in writing fantasy romances I have absolutely adored. While The Phoenix Keeper was a cozy, slow-burn, no-spice affair, Voidwalker is an action-packed sexy delight. I absolutely loved the feistiness of Fi and the way she pitted herself against Antal. I love that Antal comes to trust her as an equal and fully respects her own strengths. And I loved this strange universe of different planes all connected by the Void, a universe of endless places to explore. If there's more stories to be had in this world, I will be the first to sign up.
Buy The Phoenix Keeper
OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: S. A. MacLean is a fantasy romance author from sunny Southern California. Infatuated with magical worlds since her days of brewing mud potions in her childhood garden, she fell in love with the romantasy genre after realizing all her favorite fantasy novels had kisses in them. Her stories invariably feature quirky humor, sassy animal companions, and queer casts who represent her voice as a chaotic bisexual woman. Sarah received her BS in Natural Resources from Cornell University and a PhD in Environmental Science from UC Berkeley. She left the research track to teach environmental science at her local community college, inspiring the next generation of students to save the planet.
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