Fairyloot Adult #50: May 2026
I completely missed the announcement of the May theme for Fairyloot Adult. Probably because I skipped the April box and time seems to fly twice as fast then? Before I even realized it, I received the order confirmation in my inbox. Oops, lol.
I actually don’t really know what I would have done if I had seen the announcement, because this theme could really go in any direction for my taste.
The theme for May was Venomous Academia. As the name suggests, the book falls within the Dark Academia subgenre, supplemented with elements such as found family and necromancy. All things that appeal to me. Nevertheless, Dark Academia remains a genre with which I have a somewhat mixed relationship. In theory, I love the atmosphere and aesthetics, but in practice, such books regularly disappoint me. They sometimes rely a little too heavily on the atmosphere and just a little too little on a story that truly manages to draw me in. Still, looking back, I am absolutely not angry with myself for not skipping this box.
The book of the month was Deathbringer by Sonia Tagliareni.
Born with the ability to speak with the dead, Viola hates her magic. It killed her sister, Olivia, and if she doesn’t learn why, it will kill her too. Her only hope lies within the perilous walls of Gorhail Institute of Magic, where Olivia spent her final days.
There, Viola clashes with Sylas, a poison mage whose magic stems from three magical snakes. Immortal, tormented, and reckless, Sylas is tethered to a life he never asked for and haunted by guilt for his father’s death. His hatred for death mages runs deep, and he’s determined to keep Viola at a distance. But when an attack forces him to heal her, their fates become intertwined by a magical bond that threatens to upend his loyalties—and his common sense.
As more students start turning up dead, Viola and Sylas are drawn into an uneasy alliance that pulls them deeper into Gorhail’s treacherous passageways, where secrets fester beneath the stone and the dead do not rest. And as enemy lines begin to blur and their undeniable attraction grows, Viola and Sylas uncover a chilling someone is hunting mages for their magical relics, and if they can’t uncover the killer in time, Viola will be next.
Okay… this actually sounds really fun.
When I saw the label Romantasy pop up again, I pulled a face for a moment, but the murder mystery aspect immediately managed to win my attention back. An intricate murder mystery, combined with an academic setting and necromancy, actually sounds like a story that could completely captivate me. Whether it will actually be a hit remains to be seen, of course, but my curiosity has certainly been piqued.
For the cover, Fairyloot once again did their own thing entirely with an exclusive design by @alexanderkopainski.
The complete design is reminiscent of a luxurious black leather book. The leather texture itself has a completely matte finish, while the other black areas have a glossy finish. The red accents combine glossy paper with red foil, giving the cover a great deal of depth.
It is without a doubt a very beautiful cover. However, I feel that it might look a little too much like quite a few other fantasy covers. There isn’t immediately anything that really stands out and grabs my attention. Strangely enough, the standard cover succeeds in that just a little better for me, even though it actually uses several well-known fantasy elements as well. But anyway, this Fairyloot version remains absolutely beautiful.
As has become customary, the back once again features a variant of the standard cover. This time, the red and black colours were swapped. Unfortunately, this doesn’t quite come across well in my photos. In reality, the red leans much more towards a deep burgundy, which I personally find much more beautiful than the brighter red in my pictures.
Ooh, I really love this style of hardcover.
It looks as if the illustration was painted directly onto the book by hand. The beautiful drawing by @lindseycarrillustrates clearly draws inspiration from the standard cover, but at the same time feels completely unique. Very nicely executed and truly beautifully illustrated.
Wow… the sprayed edges are impressive too.
These were also designed by @alexanderkopainski and feature an incredible amount of fine detail.
Aha… there’s the romantasy of it all, haha.
The endpapers were illustrated by @dariabobrova.art. I do get the slight feeling that Fairyloot hadn’t quite used up their silver foil budget yet, which is why they added some extra stars and circles here. To me, that foil feels a bit too random than in some previous editions.
Apart from that, I think the illustrations are very well done. I love getting character illustrations, and this drawing style really suits me.
Furthermore, the book contains a bonus chapter and the by-now traditional bound letter from the author with a digital signature.
All things considered, this is once again a very successful Fairyloot edition. Everything fits together nicely, and you can tell that a lot of attention has been paid to a coherent overall design.
I have actually become quite curious about the content as well. I really hope for a real winner and that it delivers what it promises in the blurb. For now, it certainly looks promising!
Cheers,
Charlotte
