I absolutely loved this book! Celeste is such an amazing author! She writes books with amazing worlds and depth to characters. And the romance was so good!! Everyone must read this book!

This romantasy was so different to anything else that I’ve read recently. It had magical elves, human alchemist and ancient feuds.

The fmc is such a focused individual who doesn’t let her circumstances stop her from achieving what she wanted whereas the mmc is strong willed and willing to do whatever it takes to save his realm.

I really enjoyed the romance between these characters and the slow burn from enemies to lovers. The forced marriage and kidnapping enforced the hatred between the two characters.

I absolutley loved this book! I was gripped into the story as soon as I started and finished it in one sitting. I loved the authors writing style because it made it very easy to read and follow the plot. The characters were very unique but there journey was amazing and extremely satisfying to read. I will be recommending this book to all of my family and friends.

Oh my gosh, you have to read This Rotting Heart! 😍 I couldn't put it down. The main female character is incredible—she’s so strong, smart, and just totally relatable. 💪 I loved how she handled everything that came her way. And the romance? It’s seriously beautiful. 💖 The way the relationship between the leads develops feels so natural, and you can really feel their chemistry. 🔥 I absolutely fell for the male main character too—he's everything you want in a book boyfriend. 😍

The story follows a young woman who’s on a journey of self-discovery and survival in a world full of danger and unexpected twists. 🌍✨ There’s magic, mystery, and a deep connection between the characters that makes it so easy to get lost in. The plot kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was the emotional depth that really got to me. 😭

And don’t let the “no spice” tag fool you—this book has a romance that will make your heart swell, and you’ll fall in love with the characters either way. 💕 It’s just one of those stories that tugs at your heartstrings, no matter what.

If you're into a mix of strong characters, a swoon-worthy romance, and a little bit of magic, this book is definitely for you. ✨ Trust me, you’ll love it. 📚

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers 💥
Hades and Persephone reimagining 🌑☀️
Slow burn romance 🔥
Forced marriage 💍
Strong, independent female lead 💪

You 👏🏻 all 👏🏻 ohmygosh this BOOK 📕 I was SUCKED in. Celeste has quickly become one of my favorite fantasy authors ✨ her banter, dynamic characters, and story telling are perfection, and this one was just 💋 chefs 💋

Hellebore. A persephone 💐 character OBSESSED with death 🥀 the first line of her POV had me shocked 🫢 like WOW YOU GO GIRL 👏🏻 her character was so unique 🖤 She was thrown into a horrible situation and I loved the way she handled it 💗

Taiyo. A Hades character 🖤 with sun powers ☀️ (SO COOL RIGHT?!) the depth of emotion this man shows through just body language (it’s only the FMCs POV) was INSANE. He’s carrying the weight of his kingdom 👑 and is willing to do anything. But he doesn’t except to fall in love with his alchemist wife 🧪

Guys. He falls first but she falls harder is THE TROPE OHMYGOSHHHHHHH 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 there were so many other AMAZING ones (but I’ll let them suprise you 😘) and the SLOW BURN 🔥was SMOLDERING 🫠 and not only the romance, I was SO INVESTED in the non-romance plot of saving the kingdom and the plot twist?! I was unwell 🫠 the last few chapters are completely highlighted 😂

Anyways. GO READ THIS it is absolute perfection 💋

⚠️ CW: violence, minor innuendo between married couple ⚠️

This is the second Hades and Persephone retelling I’ve read and it is extraordinary. Nothing like I was expecting, and ever so much better. This clean romantasy was everything you could ask for. A slow burn enemies to lovers romance. An arranged marriage, marriage of convenience that was forced upon Helleborne. She is an alchemist and that is the theme of “magic” in this story along with the powers the sun elevens get from the sun. I could not put this book down. I was absolutely captivated. While there was darkness woven in, it wasn’t anything like I was expecting. No one was being brought to the underworld or anything like that. Death was taking over a land, but I wasn’t a good thing. I wish I could read this book again for the first time. This is the first book I’ve read in this multi author series.

Mind you this is a slow burn, can be read for under 15yo teens because there's no spice and just plot & loveeee, he's swooooony. Easy to read and not that complicated at wording,

An alchemist who's also a princess forced to marry an elf king for kingdom peace treaty. The real reason of the union has something to do with the life of the elf king.

I enjoy the book and simply giving a 5 ⭐️ because it makes me cry, also he's cute actually trying to hide his feelings from her lol he love herrrrr.

This Rotting Heart – Celeste Baxendell
Dark, poetic, and utterly captivating, this novel explores themes of decay, love, and rebirth. Baxendell’s prose is hauntingly beautiful, weaving a tale that is as unsettling as it is deeply moving. A standout for fans of gothic and atmospheric fiction.

Celeste Baxendell’s gothic and haunting writing creates a world that’s both disturbing and thought-provoking.

I had no idea what to expect with this book, but I was ENTHRALLED. I read it in less than 24 hours, and can’t stop thinking about it. The magic system was so unique, and the characters were so well described. I found myself connecting with the characters and their emotions. When they were anxious, I was anxious! When they were happy, I was happy! Five stars all around!

3.5 rounded up to 4 because reading This Rotting Heart made me curious about the other books of "Seasons of Legends"

What's it about?

A reimagining of Hades and Persephone but with roles reversed. Hades as a Sun Elf and Persephone obsessed with death.

Hellebore wants nothing more than to walk in her Aunt's footsteps and become alchemist to the King.
But she is abruptly kidnapped by the Sun Elf King, Taiyo.
Believing her family have married her off and not being worthy of the alchemist title, she sets about adjusting to her life as wife and Queen.

Taiyo needs her help. He is dying. There is a Rot curse that is killing him and the Sunrise Iris: flowers that hold the Kingdom's source of magic and their symbolism of marriage and union.

Hellebore leaps at the chance of proving her skill as alchemist to reverse the Rot. If she has to be married against her wishes, she can at least practice her alchemy.
But not only does she need to save the Iris's and the kingdom, she needs to find a way to save the King. The King she is falling for.

Thoughts:

Easy reading - and a fun imagining.

I didn't like Hellebore to start with but I loved her development. She just seemed annoyingly whiny to begin with and then as she discoverers her purpose she takes strides in taking charge and is much more resilient.

I actually thought the no spice element worked really well. It was suggestive, passionate and explored the relationship between the characters as we watch their relationship develop.

The author portrayed the characters really well - and it was a little emotional in places.
I loved the colours of the Sun Elf Kingdom and how the author built the Kingdom's folklaw around the Iris into the story.

It was a solid story and enjoyable to read.

This was a quick heartwarming fantasy romance that I enjoyed! I just finished Ties of Starlight this morning and started this straight after (yes I read it in under 12 hours) and I loved the little cameo of the main couple from that book!
This Rotting Heart is a Persephone and Hades reimagining – and you know that sometimes these can go very wrong for me on the toxicity of the relationship but this one didn’t! The main element of a Persephone x Hades retelling is that the fmc is kidnapped and made to marry the mmc which can be a lot for me to get over – but I did for this one!
That the personality traits of the two were switched, the fmc was the death obsessed one and the mmc was the Sun king was such a gorgeous little touch which is why I love reading this myth and fairytale reimagining’s.

Romantic Content: a few kisses, no detail!

I loved this book so much! Classic enemies to lovers. I enjoyed that Helleborne was an independent woman who didn’t depend on others to accomplish what she saw fit. She was such a strong willed and determined FMC. I loved the fantasy elements of this book and how humans could harness the ability to make their own magic. I would love to see their story continued!

This reminds me of the Married to Magic series by Elise Kova but with a darker gothic twist. Overall, it's well written and definitely gives you a good enemies-to-lovers story.

Celeste Baxendell delivers an enchanting romantasy in This Rotten Heart, blending romance and fantasy into a fast-paced, addictive read. Though short, the story is packed with enough depth to make you fall in love with both main characters.

The romance is beautifully developed, balancing tension, banter, and emotional depth. The characters feel alive, their chemistry undeniable, and the world-building—while not overly complex—sets the perfect stage for their story. The book wastes no time on unnecessary fluff, making every moment count.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story! It definitely has Hades and Persephone vibes just without any kind of underworld/afterlife, which was a fun twist! And the romance was really well written and well paced in my opinion, while still being no spice. SO it's perfect to have YA readers on the younger age side as an audience.

If you’re looking for a quick but satisfying romantasy that hooks you from the first page, This Rotten Heart is a fantastic choice. It’s the kind of book you devour in one sitting and immediately wish for more!

Thanks to NetGAlley for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love the concept of alchemy, plant science, and magic, and the book description and other reviews had me so intrigued and excited for this. I must be an outlier however, because this book didn’t work for me. The action and details were confusing because so many descriptions felt choppy. There were repetitive words and sentences that were too long, yet with the details given I couldn’t picture the characters or the setting. The writing style seemed like it was trying to be casual, maybe humorous at times, and it didn’t work for me. Unfortunately, this all led me to lose interest in the story and could not finish reading it.

4.5 (thanks netgalley for the arc!)

my first book from this author and as much as I dislike books that are too fast paced especially when they’re standalone this one hit the spot
I loved these characters and this universe it melted my heart from the start
very good if you want a fast paced but still high stakish story with banter!!

This Rotting Heart wasn’t overly what I thought it might be. However I really loved Hellebore, such an interesting name for a main character, and her intelligence and smarts. She definitely wasn’t as emotionally aware as I would have hoped but her love story was wonderful to experience. I would recommend this book for the plot and the sweetness to it as well.

Thanks to NetGalley, Victory Editing and Celeste Baxendell for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

THIS ROTTING HEART is a novel about not just one, but two rotting hearts - one literally and one figuratively. When Princess Hellebore is kidnapped by a Sun Elf while on a hunt for a forbidden Sun Iris, she finds out that she is not a prisoner, but a betrothed. All she wants is to be the King's Alchemist to her brother, future king, so it's a matter of luck when the king of Sun Elves, Taiyo, reveals that was precisely why he demanded her hand in marriage. His kingdom is dying, and Hellebore, the alchemist, is the only one who can save it.

This book had me kicking my feet and giggling like a teenager. Celeste Baxendell created characters that feel so vivid, so real, and so embarrassing at times, it was incredible. I adored the dynamic between Hellebore and Taiyo. They're a slow burn in the best way possible, and Hellebore's denial of her feelings was the funniest. Like, girl, we know. We can tell. I love you, though. Other characters were great but few, even if Aunt Palladia got on my nerves from the moment she spoke. The plot twists were predictable but great nonetheless, and I loved the mythology behind the sun irises.

I'll be honest - the only reason why this isn't a five-star is because it could've been better. There's still improvement. A few times the squabbles between Taiyo and Hellebore felt forced, too, and I wish we'd gotten a little more explanation for how alchemy (in-universe magic) worked. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but I know it could've been even better, and for that reason alone it has to be four stars. I'd still recommend it to everyone wanting an easy read, elvish romance!

The Rotting Heart is an excellent clean fantasy novel! I’ve never read a fantasy book quite like this one before. The FMC, Hellebore, is a spitfire alchemist’ who is very career driven. She’s strong, funny, and perfectly blunt! She is not a damsel in distress. She is a hero who takes destiny into her own hands and changes the fate of a nation.

The plot twists in this story genuinely had me pins and needles.

Absolutely brilliant read!

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