Introduction
Published in September 2025, The Rebel and the Rose is the second book in The City of Fantome series authored by Catherine Doyle. This series falls deeply inside the romantasy genre and it is a wonder that booktok hasn’t picked this up yet.
A Summary
Hidden away in a quiet hilltop sanctuary, Seraphine Marchant trains with the Order of Flames, trying to master the lightfire that keeps slipping out of her control. No matter how far she runs from Fantome, the pull of the city keeps tugging her back, along with the assassin who has rooted himself far too deeply in her thoughts. Ransom Hale is fighting his own battles as he steps into leadership of the Order of Daggers. The weight of it drags him toward the shadows he swore he would escape, and Sera is the one person who makes him believe he might still choose something different. Across Valterre, rebellion is rising and a dangerous prince is gathering power. When the king forces Sera and Ransom to work together, their tangled feelings collide with a prophecy that has already begun to unravel the future of the kingdom.
Writing Style
The Rebel and the Rose is a double POV novel, with fairly short chapters and an intense character-driven plot. At 512 pages, it manages to make every word feel impactful.
My Thoughts
I flew through this book; it was incredibly easy to read and it left such a strong emotional impression on me from start to finish. They pulled off choices that genuinely shocked me and I never once predicted where things were heading. The plot twists made complete sense, yet still managed to hit with full force every single time. The reader has all the pieces needed to figure out what is going on, but the pacing keeps you so absorbed in the characters, the tension, and the atmosphere that realising the truth feels almost impossible until it is right in front of you. The entire novel felt like a feverdream in the best possible way, the kind that lingers long after you close the book. The separate POVs of the main characters were one of the strongest parts of the story. Each perspective carried such deep, complicated emotion and you could feel how much they were fighting for the world while also fighting for each other. The romance was heartbreakingly sweet and I adored every moment of it. It added so much tenderness to the chaos and made the stakes feel even higher. The introduction of new characters kept everything feeling fresh and dynamic, and the book never once sacrificed its complex, character driven plot just to fit into the typical fantasy mould people have come to expect. It stayed true to its emotional core while still expanding the world in meaningful ways. The imagery throughout the book is absolutely fabulous. There is far more travelling this time, which clears up so many of the worldbuilding issues I had with the first instalment and makes the setting feel fully realised. The landscapes, the magic, the atmosphere, all of it comes together in a way that pulls you straight into the journey. It feels immersive in a way that makes you want to linger on every page, even as the pacing pushes you forward.
Recommendation
I absolutely recommend this to those that love yearning in their romantasy novels, as this series does it better than most. The first book in the series is The Dagger and the Flame, which you can check out by clicking here.
