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Books that ruined me in the best possible way

19 items

Candi Mahler

Some stories don’t just stay with you — they wreck you, rebuild you, and then live rent-free in your soul forever. These are the books that left me sobbing on the floor, staring at the ceiling, or whispering “just one more chapter” at 3 a.m. Each of ...

Sections

Bridge Kingdom Series

Single Books

Mass Verse

War of Lost Hearts

JLA

Bonds that Tie

Bridge Kingdom Series

Enemies. Lovers. Betrayal. Politics. Pain. This book wrecked me in the best way — it’s a romantasy masterpiece filled with tension, deception, and a slow-burn romance that hurts so good. Lara and Aren’s story had me gasping, crying, and screaming “tr...

I will always recommend this as a favorite enemies to lovers. Lara Veliant and her many sisters have been trained from childhood in isolation to be weapons — spies, assassins, deceivers — for their throne in Maridrina.

Danielle L. Jensen: The Bridge Kingdom (Paperback)

Duology to Bridge Kingdom. It picks up immediately after The Bridge Kingdom ends. Lara is in exile, her homeland Ithicana is under her father’s control, and her husband Aren has been captured.

Danielle L. Jensen: The Traitor Queen (Paperback)

I loved that we get a spin off of different characters in the bridge kingdom. While the first two books focused on Lara Veliant and Aren, this one shifts to new protagonists: Zarrah Anaphora (heir to Valcotta) and Prince Keris Veliant of Maridrina.

The Inadequate Heir (Paperback)

Part 2. In this installment, Zarrah is imprisoned by the Empress.

Danielle L. Jensen: The Endless War

Single Books

These are the books that broke me beautifully. The ones that made me cry, scream, and stare at the wall wondering how I’ll ever read again — and yet, I’d do it all over.

Also recommend the audio for this one! It’s a fantasy adventure / fairy-tale style novel set within Sanderson’s Cosmere universe, though you don’t need to know the rest of the Cosmere to enjoy it.

Tress of the Emerald Sea: A Cosmere Novel

One of my favorite gothic romances. Darcy O’Sullivan, an orphaned English teacher from Boston, inherits from her biological father, but with a catch: she must travel to the mysterious coastal town of Fairydale to attend his funeral and claim the inhe...

Fairydale: A Novel by Veronica Lancet

Absolutely loved loved reading another Rachel Gillig. Gothic romantasy / fantasy romance, with mysticism, divine omens, prophecy, and darker secrets.

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

epic beauty. this one is absolutely 5 stars. Its world is built on a striking idea: when dragons die, their bodies petrify and float up to become moons. But now, moons are falling.

When the Moon Hatched: A Novel by Sarah A. Parker

Can you say top read of 2025!!!!!! I was wrecked!

The Wolf King (Deluxe Edition)

Book two and my current read and OMG!!!!! Team Blake all the way.

The Night Prince (Deluxe Edition)

Mass Verse

every page makes you fall in love, break apart, and somehow crave more.

This one got me back into reading and now I have a Romantasy heart.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

I know… I know… But the way KOA broke me

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass Series #1) by Sarah J. Maas

This one especially

A Court of Mist and Fury

This ONE ***

Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass Series #7) by Sarah J. Maas

War of Lost Hearts

This trilogy wrecked me — body, mind, and soul — in the most beautiful way possible. The War of Lost Hearts is a haunting, slow-burn romantasy full of heartbreak, found strength, and love that endures through ruin. Tisaanah and Max’s story is raw, em...

Hands down one of my favorites from her. The trilogy follows Tisaanah, a former slave and magic Wielder, as she fights for freedom, joins a powerful magical order, and navigates dark magic, political conflict, and romance.

The War of Lost Hearts Series by Carissa Broadbent

This one will always be one of my top Tiers

Daughter of No Worlds (War of Lost Hearts #1)

JLA

This book destroyed me in the best possible way. What starts as a forbidden-love fantasy turns into an emotional rollercoaster of betrayal, destiny, and jaw-dropping twists. Poppy and Hawke’s chemistry? Explosive. The betrayals? Brutal. The world-bui...

JLA is an AUTO BUY. The protagonist is Penellaphe “Poppy” Balfour, known as the Maiden. By birth she is destined for Ascension, a divine ritual tied to gods and prophecy.

From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash Series #1)

Bonds that Tie

This series didn’t just ruin me — it rewired my soul. If you love found family, slow-burn tension, and morally grey chaos, welcome to your next obsession.

Dark Romance Found family. The series follows a heroine named Oli who has “Bonds” — connections/powers with multiple male figures (her “Bonded”).

The Bonds that Tie Series by J. Bree

If you need some UNHINGED found Family. The series follows a heroine named Oli who has “Bonds” — connections/powers with multiple male figures (her “Bonded”).

Broken Bonds by J Bree