ARC Review: A Ballad for Slayers and Monsters

4.25/5

Publish Date: April 15th, 2025

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read that reminded me of the first season of the Witcher and the Stardust movie. This is definitely not a book that someone would look for if they are used to Sanderson-style high fantasy, but it was light, fun, and an enjoyable read while I was snowed in for an afternoon. This book straddles the line between YA and adult, making for an easy read with some more adult themes.

The plot-to-romance ratio was really well executed, and I liked the way that the relationship between Kas and Claudia developed over time. The author also did a really good job at demonstrating character's power in a way that made sense in the story and didn't come off as ridiculously OP and unbelievable. The action scenes were incredibly written- especially when describing fighting with different techniques and weapons.

While I did very much enjoy this book, I think it would have been better as a 2 book series. There were some issues where "big" fight scenes (especially the last) were resolved very quickly, and there were large time jumps that were fairly confusing. I agree with other reviews that claimed that the worldbuilding or certain scenes weren't covered in depth enough - something that I think would be covered better in other books.

Overall, this was a nice little escapist book to read in an afternoon. It was cozy, fun, and sprinkled with just the right amount of action.