Wicked Is the Reaper – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Look at that cover! 😍 If I’m honest, the beautiful cover art is 75% of the reason I chose to read this book. The other quarter is because of this book preview I saw on Nisha’s Tiktok page:
“A good princess does as she’s told… until the Reaper comes to claim her. Then she does what she wants.”
Wicked Is the Reaper is an adult fantasy romance novella inspired by Beauty and the Beast. It is 118 pages of suspense and steamy enemies-to-lovers romance. The novella officially releases on April 20, but you can read it early (and for free!) by subscribing to Nisha J. Tuli’s newsletter.
A bored princess
Princess Rowan’s life is planned for her. When she turns 25, the royal family must host a Hunt, an ancient fae ritual to determine her future husband. Any eligible suitor from the kingdom may participate, but Rowan isn’t worried because her childhood best friend is favored to win. She dreams of passionate, romantic love, but has resigned herself to a life with a platonic partner. That is, until the Reaper, a legendary monster from the forest, shows up on the day of the Hunt and claims victory – and thus, her.
Beauty and the Beast retelling
The “Reaper” whose real name is Wicked (get it haha?) takes his new bride to live with him in his castle in the middle of the woods. Rowan is frustrated by his refusal to explain why he claimed her and eager to go back home. Her initial days with Wicked are spent orchestrating several unsuccessful escape attempts.
Over time, as in the original fairytale, the pair develop a mutual understanding. Rowan gradually learns more about her captor and his curse, and Wicked grows enamored with her tenacity (aka her repeat escape attempts). Attraction blooms between the two – causing Wicked to question his entire scheme to use her to break his curse. Rowan, on the other hand, starts envisioning a life free of royal restrictions. Though a bit predictable, it is still a satisfying love story <3
Short and sweet
My only complaint with this book is that I wish it were longer! That’s to be expected since it’s a novella, but in particular, there were a few elements of this one that didn’t feel concluded to me. Nisha introduced this new world and hinted at tension between the human and fae worlds, but we didn’t get to see it unfold yet.
For example, I was intrigued by the nature of Wicked’s curse. I want to learn more about his family members who placed it to usurp his power. On the very last page, Rowan briefly mentions challenging his brother… so I’m wondering if this is the beginning of a series? I hope so! My heart broke reading the scenes about Wicked’s loneliness over the past few centuries. I was looking forward to an epilogue in which he and Rowan finally fill their abandoned castle with people – friends, family, a kingdom of their own maybe. Hopefully, we’ll get to see that in a second book. I’ll definitely be reading more by this author!
✔️ Challenge Completed
By reading Wicked Is the Reaper, I fulfilled Prompt #1 of The Ultimate Reading Challenge: Read a novella (a short novel typically under 200 pages). Go check out the prize I won!
Have you read a novella recently? Do you have a favorite? Share your recs with me!