I first learned about ARCs (advanced reader copies) from Threads, where I discovered Marley Ferguson sharing her link for those who were interested. I wouldn’t call myself bookish nor are any of my socials bookish. But, I do read, and I, of course, do reviews. Thankfully, I received my ebook online in September. I finished the book as of September 29th with the planned release date of October 7, 2025!

My full review is below with no spoilers, assuming you’ve read the bare minimum synopsis. I start with my appreciative feedback then work into critiques, if that helps you identify where you want to start (or stop) reading.

Overview

Rebellion in the Mist is a fantasy romance book centered around Ness, a fae magic wielder with golden eyes. She goes from serving her empire as a teacher to being an undercover spy. Her first, and only, mission is to pretend to be a (now deceased) princess and gather intel on the looming rebellion against the empire she loves. Thankfully, she’s not alone and has a support team, including a love interest named Lev. We see the common love triangle trope where she also is developing a crush on Ransom, the male main character who is spearheading the rebellion.

Ness has character growth throughout the story that was highlighted in both her interactions with other characters and her internal monologues about life. It was enjoyable to read about her realizing not everything is as sunshine and rainbows and she initially thought, and how she can realize the propaganda, rumor mills, and deceit can go both for and against her.

Praises

I’m a huge fantasy fan and adored the world Marley begins to build in this book. I knew I’d love it when the first pages showed a map! I was able to learn the history of faes, the related deities, and how magic is used within the world. She even gave depth to the cultures, fashions, and foods from different regions. I craved more of this depth, though I completely understand not everyone wants to channel their inner Tolkien with pages and pages of lore.

The book does have open door spice, though it was definitely minor details in the grand scheme of the plot. I’m not much of a spice girly but it added to the story and character growth. If it’s the one thing holding you back from checking this book out: trust me when I say it’s <5% of the entire book and the bulk of the story is on the characters and plot to stop the rebellion.

I did appreciate the side characters, though I was hoping for some more diverse representation. Descriptions of the characters weren’t too in-depth which left a lot to the imagination. One of the main side characters, Wynn, grew on me throughout the series and I loved her at the end!

The book had plenty of foreshadowing and hints if you’re one to try and solve things while reading. The “twists” at the end weren’t outrageous and a bit expected. Even with a fast paced book, it all wraps up neatly with minimal cliffhangers, which is much appreciated. There is a bit of an open story with this book being the first of a series.

Critiques

As mentioned before, I did crave more lore with the world to help bring it to life. I have questions after completion and they all relate to lore of the world and the magic and cultures. I also wasn’t a huge fan of some of the characters and though some name choices were quite cheesy (looking at you, George, who lives in the fantasy world). However, all of my complaints are minor and nitpicky and wouldn’t deter me from picking up the book to read again.

I wanted to save this specific paragraph to be a hater on the character, Lev. This is definitely a preference of mine and not a reflection on the writing. I felt Ness’s attraction to him was pretty meh development wise and he started giving me the “ick” throughout the book. Turns out, based on the promotional material, he isn’t the main male lead but instead it is Ransom, the cliche bad boy.

Conclusion

Overall, I adored the majority of the characters, the world, and the story. I’m glad I was able to find a fantasy book with romance themes to appreciate. I’ve given Marley praise on social media already for the hype on release, which I will be purchasing a physical copy from an independent bookstore, obviously. If this book seems like your cup of tea then don’t be afraid to give it a read!