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Heir of Illusion
Verran Isles
Fantasy
Piatkus
November 4, 2025
480
An alliance between enemies. A weapon of untold power. And a bond that could rewrite fate.
Fall into the viral, propulsive dark romantasy everyone is reading. A fae assassin with the power of illusion, sworn to a king she despises. An enigmatic grim reaper, searching for freedom. Enemies collide in an unlikely alliance, brimming with desire and destruction.
She is not the pet they tamed.Blessed with the power of illusion, Iverson Pomeroy has many tricks up her sleeve. However, none of them are a match for the enchanted collar at her throat that keeps her bound as assassin and mistress to a ruthless king. Forced to play the role of his obedient pet, she plots in secret to destroy him and claim the freedom she has always been denied.
She is the beast they let inside.
When a mysterious reaper, Thorne, arrives in the city with his sights set on the same weapon Ivy needs—the only artifact that can remove her collar—she must decide how far she’s willing to go.
And she will show no mercy.
With a tenuous alliance tying them together, Ivy learns there is more to her reluctant companion than meets the eye… He sparks her curiosity and ignites dangerous desires within her. But will the secrets they harbor destroy each other? And does it even matter, when anyone who so much as touches Thorne dies?
“I’m not frightened of the violence inside of you. There’s no crime you could commit that would turn me away.”
Heir of Illusion is the first instalment in the exciting Verran Isles series from Madeline Taylor. Iverson is a captive. Chained to a man who betrayed her, everyone sneers at the king’s pet even as she’s forced to be his assassin. Ivy may have been caged, but she’s not yet been tamed. A gifted wraith, she’s known for her gift of invisibility, but that’s not the end of her gifts. When her next mission has her hunting for a fabled weapon, it may turn out to be the only thing that can break the enchanted necklace that enslaves her. Ivy knows she can’t let this opportunity pass. Even when forced to work alongside a mysterious Reaper sent by the God of Death himself. Though her curious ally may be the least of her worries when the weapon itself may prove to have malicious intentions.
This novel gets uncomfortable. Ivy is trapped in a horrible situation. Madeline Taylor holds that delicately, letting our hearts break for Ivy. It makes investment in her story easy and every opportunity for hope, something to lean into. I think the skill that wraps this story’s emotional impact is what ultimately delivers the punch of the twists. On multiple occasions, I’d be too deep in my feels for Ivy, both good and bad, and I’d be completely caught off guard by the next reveal.
The exposition in this story is used a bit sparingly for my taste, but that opinion likely comes from a place of greed. Each of the Verran Isles is ruled by a god, and its inhabitants have magic of the same vein. Ivy lives on the Isle of the God of Illusion, and we get glimpses at the society and the different interesting ways illusion magic present. That said, I wish we could dive a little deeper into the nuances of the world.
Heir of Illusion provides some of the great tropes found in the Romantasy genre. Here you’ll find loads of angsty yearning and morally grey characters paired with a touch of spice. This is a seriously fun read worthy of many a BookTok post. But Madeline Taylor is also capable of representing the complicated feelings of someone victimised and forced to survive hardships, and that should be applauded in its own right. This is a read worthy of recommendation for both its action and its tenderness.
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