Thanks to NetGalley and Scarlett Press for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

✩🫀🩸Review: 

An addictive, jaw-dropping dystopian romance! 

“Daggermouth” follows Shadera Kael, a mercenary, after she botches the assassination of Greyson Serel, the president’s son, and ends up forced to marry him.

Wolfe’s unique, action-packed storyline and well-developed characters grabbed my attention from the very beginning! The gradual world-building immersed me in the harrowing, high stakes city of New Found Haven. The politics and system government are truly fascinating, which kept me heavily invested in the characters’ respective journeys as they navigated and worked to overthrow the corruption. 

My only gripe with this book is the pacing. The first half is definitely slower moving as the reader orients themselves with the different character points-of-view (some I found more compelling than others) and the world itself. Additionally, while this book is a true enemies-to-lovers romance, I felt that the two got together rather quickly once they found common ground. 

Nevertheless, the chemistry between Shadera and Greyson is palpable and it was impossible not to root for them to get together. As the line between hatred and love starts to blur, Wolfe ramps up the tension between the two. The pay off is more than worth the wait. I look forward to seeing their relationship develop further in future installments! 

I cannot emphasize enough that the final 50 pages are truly diabolical. The heart-pounding plot twists and reveals truly left me in a state of disbelief. I will definitely be continuing on with this series when the next book comes out. 

in all honesty, lira isn't in the story very much, but pretty much all of the main characters have trauma that is explicitly stated or alluded to in one way or another.

!!!!!! MAJOR SPOILERS FOR DAGGERMOUTH BELOW !!!!!!

for lira specifically, she was sold by her father when she was fourteen to the men loyal to him to ensure their loyalty (me me me me me me ME!!!!!!!) and she's also physically abused by her father regularly if she steps out of line and just because she's a woman.

greyson, her older brother and one of the two main characters, is regularly beaten and tortured by his father. he's been shot by him more than once and got beaten so badly before the start of the story that he had internal bleeding and organs rupturing. it's also implied that his father did wayyyy worse than that too.

their mother is also physically abused by their father and gets regularly hit/beaten when she speaks without her husband's express permission. there's even one scene where her husband locks her face in a scold's bride and has it hanging from the ceiling in such a way that if she isn't standing, the chain its connect to will strangle her.

the other main character, shadera (pronounced sha-deer-uh), grew up in the poorest part of the city they live in and had to watch greyson and lira's father execute her parents because they were both from different classes and marrying someone outside of your class is illegal. it's also implied she's been through torture of some kind too, but they haven't specified what that is as of yet in the story. the same goes for the boy (jameson) who starts out as her love interest tho it changes to greyson about halfway through the story.