Introduction
Published in early October 2026 and authored by Charlotte B. Plumb, Reap & Sow is a gothic romantasy surrounding demons, deal-making and the importance of family. It is the first in the series, with the next book due to be released late 2027.
A Summary
The penniless in Blackbridge have only two choices: Sell the body or sell the soul. And thanks to Eda Shaw, business is booming.
Indentured to a capricious demon known as Mr. Night, Eda and her brothers arrange illicit Pacts on his behalf, luring the city’s most desperate into trading years of their lives for their deepest desires. When a Pact goes awry and her brothers are arrested, Eda realizes she’ll need an infernal ally of her own: Kit’rath, an infuriating demon with a curious penchant for humanity and the only being in Blackbridge that Mr. Night seems to fear. As they race to rescue her family and save the city from ruin, an undeniable connection sparks between mortal and demon.
But Kit’s help doesn’t come cheap. Now, Eda risks losing her heart to the one who claims her years—and saving herself may prove the steepest cost of all.
Writing Style
Reap & Sow is a singular POV romantasy, with a heavy focus on immersion through the description of settings. It has a YA feel to it, despite being described as an adult fantasy. The chapters are fairly long, mainly due to the description described above.
Is Reap & Sow Spicy?
This romantasy focuses more on flirting and a few light spicy scenes without much detail. Spicy Level - 2
My Thoughts
This book was one of my most exciting pre-orders, so I was giddy when it showed up on my doorstep. However, there were some things I didn’t end up loving about Reap & Sow that will mean I probably won’t pick up the next one in the series.
Firstly, the writing came off a lot more YA than I was anticipating. It wasn’t bad or anything near that, but I was not prepared to delve into a YA version of the story I had been delighted to read. This prose made it feel lighter and easier to read, but it also led to my biggest complaint in the story. The characters.
The characters, specifically Eda and her brothers, fell flat for me. Eda appeared too childish due to the YA style. I was floored to find out she was 20 because she appeared like a teenager. Her arc was good, with her becoming bolder and more self-assured, but the childish aspect stayed present throughout the entire book. I found her brothers more annoying than anything. They were clearly there to create the scenario that sets the whole plot off, but I didn’t see any redeeming characteristics until the last quarter of the book (and even that was minimal). We are told repeatedly that Eda loves them, but we never see why she loves them other than the fact they are related, so it comes across as that type of adoration children have for their family members.
The lore was odd at times, with certain aspects of deal-making with the demons being confusing or not explained well enough to understand. However, I do think this is nit-picky and if you’re a casual reader, you most likely won’t even notice the minor inconsistencies.
By far, the best part of this book was the immersion. The description of the towns, houses and general settings created such a good atmosphere to delve into. Throughout the entire book, these are present, often making you feel on edge or anxious for Eda.
Now, my final issue is the ending. This could have been a simple standalone romantasy that ended with this book, but instead, Eda herself created a new issue that would need to be dealt with in the eventual next novel, which is incredibly stupid in my opinion. Secondly–and more importantly–there was a clear issue with how to wrap up the novel at all. At no point had the issue of Eda’s deal with Kit been dealt with, until suddenly in the last few pages, another character (who has been present throughout the entire book) has a solution and gives her life for it. The way it is written feels like a complete copout and ruined it for me entirely. On top of all of this, this character was the only queer one in the entire book and it was not discovered until directly before she died.
Overall, I just wanted a more adult approach to the story. I believe it would have made it endlessly better and may have even been a 5 star read if it was done that way.
Recommendation
I don’t downright believe this book doesn’t have an audience, but I would definitely only recommend it if you want a romantasy with a YA style.
