Title: Because the Beasts Came
Author:Madeline James
Series: Wells of Istri #1
Publication Date: April 9th, 2026
Genres: Dark Romantic Fantasy
Format: Digital ARC
Pages: 626
Review Timeframe: 2 months upon downloading (ARCs will be sent by MTMC Tours!)
Amazon| Barnes & Noble | Blackwell’s | Goodreads | The StoryGraph
Beware the beasts. Find the well. Guard your heart.
A young guardian bearing the burden of a kingdom torn to shreds, Iryana works tirelessly from the shadows to keep her clan’s outpost standing. After the beasts ravaged the lands and the gangs claimed what was left, the survivors can only cling to the scattered settlements, fighting desperately to hold their borders.
But they’re losing.
Her clan’s only hope lies beyond their brittle walls: the ancient magic of the metal-wells, and the ruthless military gangs that control them. Iryana has no choice but to infiltrate a nearby brigade, earn their volatile trust, and see her magic forged in one of their closely guarded wells.
Unfortunately, surviving among liars and killers proves to be harder and more mystifying than expected.
Their cruel and calculating leader sees value in her when no one else does. The bitter soldier with haunted eyes and a devastating smile wants her gone but can’t seem to stop saving her life. As each passing day brings her deeper within the brigade, two devastating paths forward present themselves and her deep-rooted cracks become impossible to conceal.
Iryana came to the fortress to save her family—she never expected someone would try to save her.
Perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and The Serpent & The Wings of Night, Because the Beasts Came is a romantic fantasy full of aching tension, a brutal world of monsters and fragile hope, and a heroine torn between duty, desire, and survival.
In this book you’ll find:
🖤Enemies to lovers
Morally gray love interest
🖤Fierce warrior FMC
Slow burn romance
🖤Dangerous beasts
Infiltrating a dangerous organization
🖤Elemental magic
Reluctant heroine
………..
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