The Enemy’s Daughter coming May 6th, 2025 from HarperCollins Publishers; 368 pages
Content Warning: Acts of violence, gory descriptions, war
About the Author: “Melissa Poett majored in music composition, first telling stories with instruments before switching her medium to words. She now writes young adult novels in a variety of genres ranging from contemporary to romantasy. She lives in Canada, and The Enemy’s Daughter is her debut novel” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Melissa Poett on the following platforms:
This story is a retelling inspired by Tristan and Isolde. Set in a dystopian world after the fall of the Republic, eighteen-year-old healer Isadora and her best friend, Liam, kill Kingsland’s leader, Farron, forcing the two into an arranged marriage. After hearing of a gruesome battle, Isadora ventures to save her people and Liam’s life. On her journey, she meets Tristan, Farron’s son. After being injected with poison, the two struggle in a matter of life and death, where the only way for them to live is to complete a ritual that binds the two magically and physically. During her time with the enemy and in Kingsland, Isadora makes several attempts to escape but soon learns the truth about the war being fought and spends more time getting to know Tristan—leading her to question everything she’s ever known.
I was very excited to pick this book up, especially with its beautiful cover. Unfortunately, I knew from the first sentence I wasn’t going to like it. I was hoping I’d get into it, but the writing style felt very bland, and there were rarely any descriptions of the setting, so I had no idea where or when the story took place. The world-building was flawed, particularly because there was no explanation about the beginning of the war and the fall of the Republic. The story also felt more like a fantasy than a dystopian. Characters felt underdeveloped as well, since there were very few descriptions of them and they lacked depth. The romance wasn’t swoon-worthy at all—it was more confusing than anything. Tristan and Isadora knew each other for a few days and then claimed to be in love. Their conversations always felt surface level, and their only true connection was the magical bond they created so that they could survive. Though this was marketed as enemies-to-lovers, the two were never really enemies; their families were. I was actually very upset by the way that trope was mishandled. Another thing I was very uncomfortable with while reading was the lack of feminism. The story definitely didn’t live up to my expectations at all. I wouldn’t recommend this personally, but I think fantasy fans who are just starting to read within the genre might like this one, especially since it’s very easy to follow along.
The Enemy’s Daughter releases on May 6th, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Anasofia Alejandro, Pine Reads Review Writer