Innamorata
Ava Reid || Publication Date - 17.03.2026
Death ruled, betrayal came and ripped it all away... Agnes will steal it all back.
Historical | Fantasy
The only thing which poses a threat to her success is the Prince himself. She will stop at nothing to bring her revenge to the crown that took everything from them. But will the crown sweep her off her feet while she's on her path of destruction.
The Review (may contain spoilers)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this eARC for an honest review!
This would be my second turn around with Ava Reid. The first I had read from her was 'Juniper & Thorn' which I enjoyed, but found the prose way too flowery for my own tastes. As a reader, I appreciate her use of description really setting the dark and gothic vibes her novels are known for. They're immersive and invoke a grotesque style of descriptive writing that is truly beautiful, albeit quite morbid. 'Innamorata' comes through with the same in spades, truly the prose is fantastic.
One issue I feel I have with Ava's novels are her characters. I was hoping it might have been a singular issue with the first book I'd read and it would develop as Ava continued to write and hone her art. But for me, it's hard to describe. I feel there is a glass panel between myself as the reader and the characters of the novel that I cannot break through and make a connection. It's the same feeling I had while also reading 'The Familiar' by Leigh Bardugo. Something about the characters felt inaccessible to me, and the fact this has now happened twice, over two books is making me think Ava's characters are not for me to connect with.
As the story continued, the prose became way too much to deal with. Same as I had felt reading 'Juniper & Thorn', every mundane aspect of the situation and environment does not need a flowery sentence full of description dedicated to it. It is Ava's artistic choice to write this way and I feel it's a polarising style. I personally realise that I am not a fan of it, which after feeling the same way after the first of Ava's novels I read, I am content expressing her writing is beautiful and not writing I enjoy reading.
Overall Thoughts
One of the biggest issues I had with this novel was the marketing. The ending tag line to the blurb is as follows:
For Agnes’s final order is the gravest: She must not fall in love.
I want to stress for anyone going into this, reading that tag line and thinking this is a fantasy romance. Romance is definitely twisted into the book, however it is NOT a romance.
Despite knowing there were going to be dark and gothic themes, as with most Ava Reid works, I would recommend looking up trigger warnings. There are some themes within the novel which I believe were overdone to a point of overshadowing the narrative being told. Especially towards the second half where things get DARK. Gore is also very prevalent, and if that's not something you can't stomach on a good day, with the descriptive nature of Ava's prose this may not be a good pick for you.
However if you don't give a shit about gore and triggers, it was an interesting narrative to be sure.
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