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NatalieMarie
December 31, 2025
Great action, well-rounded characters, fun read
Virelai's Hoard by Vivien Nash was my final book of 2025 and, without a doubt, my favorite indie book of the year! If you wish Pirates of the Caribbean had lesbians, this book is for you. If you like curses, treasure hunts, sword fights, and spicy sapphic scenes, this book is for you.
The pacing of the story is done really well. It was a fast read without any long-winded descriptions or overly complicated language, which is great for me since I can get distracted easily. It felt like there was no dead space in the book. Every scene moved the plot or characters forward.
Every character is layered. They have strengths and flaws, unique characteristics, and emotions. There is one nonbinary character and one BIPOC character that are part of the main ensemble of characters. While the book is FFF romance, this is not a love triangle, which is a nice change of pace. Time will tell if this ends up a true throuple, perhaps we'll find out in book 2.
This book is a fantastic pirate fantasy for sapphic readers or lovers of fantasy! I cannot wait to revisit the world of Vareth in The Selkie's Curse, coming out in January 2026!