The Series That Defined 2025

Hi friends! Long time, no see, and Happy New Year!! Considering I’m making my 2026 come-back on here, it’s time to talk about the series that took up my entire brain space throughout 2025 – The Sincere Shadows series. 

One of my more difficult goals for 2025 was to establish myself as an author service provider, so, Mystic Books Marketing was created. I’ve been lucky enough to have some time between undergrad and my master’s to dedicate to growing my author services business, and I’ve met so many amazingly talented authors, especially indie authors. I’d never been aware of the small bits that go into self-publishing and now that I am, I’m in even more awe of these incredible people. 

One of the authors that I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with has been Daisy Florence, author of the Sincere Shadows series. Daisy has been an absolute delight to work with, and lucky enough for me, has allowed me to proofread and edit the entire series. 

Starting with Sun Blessed was INCREDIBLE. You know that feeling of reading TOG and being like, “wow! This is so complex and well-thought out!”? Well, introducing the Sincere Shadows universe. From the first book, I already had the goosebumpy feeling, knowing that this series would change the entire trajectory of my life. Not only was I immersed in a world that was breathtakingly beautiful to read about, but the characters were so developed, the backstories were deep and intricate, and the magic system blew my mind. It wasn’t until I got about halfway through Sun Blessed that I realized – holy shit, every reader needs this on their shelf. A classic fantasy in the making? We’ve got one right here. 

For a debut romantasy, you truly can’t get better than this. As I’d mentioned in my first review of this book, I literally found myself giggling AT WORDS ON PAPER, so immersed in the intricate world that Daisy had created. The entire story was so unique and like nothing I’d ever read before – I can only compare it to the feeling of finding a world you feel absolutely at home within.

Leaving Sun Blessed behind was like being left in the midst of battle. I was left on a cliff-hanger that had me shaking and begging Daisy for more. The littlest bits and pieces that she would feed me as she wrote were nothing compared to finally getting book 2 in my hands – Shadowless. 

Shadowless had me in a chokehold in the best possible way. It was like I was balancing on a beam throughout the entire story. We got way more of the romance and character building side of things, rather than the world-building, which I’m always a sucker for. The slow burn in book one continues slow burning as we continue throughout book two, and god, I’m so down bad for it. Chris and Elody had me screaming at my screen, desperate for them to just give into it all. 

Yet, despite the swooning going on, I was still sucked into the back and forth of the cliffhangers and plot twists that Daisy kept throwing my way. She never failed to shock me and keep me on my toes. Not one bit of the story was predictable, and it’s something that I was in complete awe of as I was reading because I would think back to book one and be like “omg, that is important!!” 

And don’t even get me started on book 3. Star Crossed was like being dumped in the middle of PAIN. Pain everywhere, pain. It was breathtakingly achy. It was like my heart was being ripped out and stomped on and then put together again just to restart the process. Half of me was obsessed, the other half was begging Daisy to put me out of my misery and let my favourite characters just BE HAPPY FOR ONCE. But of course, she did no such thing, and book 3 ended on an utterly jaw-dropping cliff-hanger that had me itching to throw my laptop across the room. 

Anyways, fast-forward to the final book in the series – Moon Struck – which just released. I can’t wait for you guys to get your hands on this book and finally realize what I’ve been yapping about. The conclusion to this series will not only blow your mind, but make you realize that all the tiny sentences that Daisy threw in the past three books actually make sense. It’s insane, completely genius, but my god, it works. It works so well that I was sitting there with a shocked expression for a good few hours after finishing the final book (and of course, with a few tears). 

The entire series takes you on such a rollercoaster that you’re left with a pit of despair – my favourite kinds of books. It features a found family that makes your heart ache with love, and star-crossed soulmates that had me swooning. 

Every word, every sentence of the Sincere Shadows series was so beautifully thought out, so crucial and unique, that I truly don’t think anything can beat the feeling of all of the puzzle pieces clicking into place. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Daisy, you’re a freaking genius. I love you, keep going, I’M SO PROUD. I can’t wait for the world to have Chris and Elody in their hands <3

Series rating: 5/5⭐