Smith, Kaylie. A Reckless Oath. Disney Hyperion, 2024. 978-1-368-08163-4. $18.99. 528 p. Grades 9-12.

Calliope Rosewood, along with the rest of her friends, are grieving and mourning the loss of someone close to them, but unfortunately, time is of the essence. Now that Calla is soul bonded to Gideon, one of the Onyx Princes, their lives and fates have become even more intertwined. Since they need answers, Calla and Gideon leave the forest for Illustros while Hannah and Caspian gather supplies to rescue Delphine from the Siren Sea. As a prisoner of the Siren leader whose shoal she’s escaped once before, Delphine must outsmart former allies and new enemies if she plans to escape with her life. Meanwhile, the valkyrie Amina has finally broken her curse, escaped the forest, and returned home to discover she’s been away from her friends for the last six years. As she finds her place among them once more, new truths come to light, and the impending Fates War looms over them all.

THOUGHTS:  This is a great recommendation for readers who love Sarah J. Maas. It contains many popular fantasy tropes readers will enjoy at a more, age appropriate level than some of Maas’s later novels. The pages are brimming with strong, female characters, friendships, magic, adventure, peril, and a slow burning romance. A Reckless Oath expands upon the world introduced to us in A Ruinous Fate, and although multiple POVs were used in book one, book two added the voices of Delphine and Amina, allowing the reader to get a glimpse of both the Siren and Valkyrie worlds. The story will either continue or conclude in book three of Smith’s Heartless Fates, and I’d recommend this one to any reader who enjoys the fantasy or romantasy genre.

Fantasy