BLOG TOUR The Beasts We Raise (Broken Citadel Book 2) by D.L. Taylor

 
Hi friends! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Beasts We Raise by D.L. Taylor, second book in the Broken Citadel series. Thank you to Toppling Stacks Tours for organizing the tour. Check out the post to learn more about the book, the author, and where you can get your own copy. Make sure you check out the other tour hosts' posts as well - the link to the schedule is below. 

Happy reading everyone!

The Beasts We Raise by D.L. Taylor (Toppling Stacks Tours)

About The Book

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publishing date: February 24, 2026

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Synopsis:

Marry her enemy. Save her realm. Forsake her heart. The heart-shattering conclusion to this dark romantasy duology is perfect for fans of Adrienne Young, Tricia Levenseller, and Brigid Kemmerer.

Newly-appointed Prime Mancella is desperate to keep the peace within her realm and within herself. Having recently acquired the power to physically split into separate versions of herself, her identity is beginning to fracture―along with her land, which is on the brink of war. The only semblance of normalcy in her life is her budding romance with thief-turned-confidant, Silver. . . at least until the mysterious Prime Reltas arrives at her doorstep asking, or rather demanding, her hand in marriage.

If Mance wants to avoid a fight that will devastate her realm, she’ll have to consider the proposal. Even if it destroys Silver. But Mance isn’t ready to give up just yet. Desperate to free herself from the betrothal, Mance must seek allyship from other Primes and learn to control her new magic. If she fails, her decision to refuse Reltas’s proposal will implode the delicate state of affairs across the realms, setting off a catastrophic war―and shatter two hearts in the process.

Content Warning: Some graphic death, grief, trauma

About the Author

D.L. Taylor is an attorney by trade. She’s worked in criminal defense and civil non-profit law, but writing has always had a special hold on her heart. Though she hails from the sunny lands of California, she married a Midwestern boy and ended up settling down outside Chicago. She has three kids, two cats, and minimal sanity, but in the quiet hours before dawn she likes to write about magic, mischief, and moral quandaries. The Beasts We Bury is her debut.

For more, you can follow her on Instagram or TikTok. Her handle is dltaylorbooks

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BLOG TOUR Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray

Hi friends! Welcome to my stop on the tour for Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray, organized by Toppling Stacks Tours (formerly TBR and Beyond Tours). Please check out my post to learn more about the book, read my review, and learn more about this fabulous debut author too. If you want to pick up your own copy (since this book comes out tomorrow), I've included the links for you to be able to do so. Make sure you show some love to the other tour hosts too. The link to the schedule is below. Happy reading everyone!

Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray Tour Schedule (Toppling Stacks Tours)

About the Book

Check out the book's Goodreads page
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Get the book on Barnes and Noble

Crescent City meets Fourth Wing in this fast-paced and romantic debut, in which a teenage girl must survive ruthless werewolves, a glittering court, and deadly politics to exact revenge on the monsters who destroyed her.

After a vicious werewolf attack on the night of her seventeenth birthday party, Vanessa Hart loses everything she loves in a split second. Her best friend, her father, and even her home.

Bitten and imprisoned without explanation, Vanessa endures an agonizing transformation into the very beast that maimed her, and her captors make it clear she cannot escape: she will either swear her life to the Wolf Queen’s Court, or she will die.

With no other choice, Vanessa joins their enchanted Castle Severi—where flowering vines grow through the walls, gifts are bestowed by the stars, and a claw can break through skin as easily as silk—but she hasn’t forgotten what they stole from her.

Vanessa still seeks vengeance, scheming in the shadows even as she finds herself mesmerized by the golden prince Sinclair Severi, who threatens to steal her heart though he is promised to her nemesis. And by his brooding, disgraced cousin, Calix, whose smoldering gaze hides even darker secrets. Immersed in the magic of their whimsical yet cruel society, Vanessa soon learns not all is as it seems.

The Court is at war, and she may simply be a pawn in its lethal game.

Content Warning: murder

Review of Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray
Rating: 5 Stars
Release Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: eARC (Courtesy of Publisher/NetGalley)
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

I've followed Jordan Gray (and her critique partner/best friend Shelby Mahurin) on Instagram for years, so it was so exciting to see all of her years of work come to fruition when she got her book deal. And when I finally got to read her debut novel, Bitten, it was an oh my god moment (in the best way possible). Bitten pulls no punches with vicious world building, and is probably one of the most memorable young adult paranormal romance/romantasy books I've read in a long time. So many twists and turns, heart wrenching moments, and that ending - I'm gonna be thinking about that for a while and I'm crossing all my fingers and toes that a sequel comes out soon (please please let there be a sequel).

The worldbuilding I think was my favorite part of the book. After Vanessa's brutal transition and introduction to the Wolf Queen's courts, she's metaphorically thrown into the deep end as she must learn the hierarchy or be killed in the process. Between the hierarchy (going from the ruling Kings and Queens down to deltas and omegas), along with the nobility structure, there was a lot to learn but I was all here for it. It was engaging and fast paced along with a little bit of political intrigue.

The romance was also entertaining. There's a palpable tension between Vanessa and Crown Prince Sinclair, but of course the aformentioned hierachies and nobility make things complicated. Especially when Vanessa is an anomaly as a Bitten werewolf who carves out her own place in the hierarchy. There were just enough moments of them giving into the tension to be satisfying, so I'm excited to see where the author will take their relationship in the future.

Overall, an amazing book and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it early (even if it means I have to wait longer for the sequel). I highly recommend it to fans of paranormal romance or romantasy books, especially if you love werewolves. Thank you to the author, the publiser Little, Brown Childrens, the team at Toppling Stacks Tours and Netgalley for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book as part of my participation in the tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book immensely. Please note - all opinions expressed in the review are my own, and not influenced in any way.

About the Author 

Jordan Stephanie Gray is the debut author of the young adult werewolf romantasy, Bitten, and the adult mermaid romantasy, The Wicked Sea.

When she isn’t dreaming up the fantastical and romantic, she is likely cuddling her two pugs and two chihuahuas in sunny Florida.

You can follow her journey through up-to-date newsletters on Substack and on Instagram.

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